7 Steps
by wood-u-like-2-no
Summary: Senior Year Future Fic: Rachel discovers Finn's lie about the night with Santana through a website, and what follows are the discussions and adventures of Finn trying to make up for his dishonesty. Now officially A/U after 'Furt'.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – ****Maybe Slight A/U and is Slight Future- Fic. They're all in Senior Year because I needed some established history in Finn & Rachel's relationship, and a slight increase in maturity for all the characters (there never seems to be any established character growth in the shows, I find, so I'm trying to fix that a little bit here). I've tried to keep to maintain the 'essence' of Glee with some humour, some drama, and tried to keep it as canon as possible, but with Glee you never know from one week to the next where 'canon' is going to go. Okay, hope you enjoy**

**Disclaimer - It's called fanfiction for a reason. I don't own nothin', I'm just borrowing from FOX TV and Ryan Murphy. **

* * *

"We need to talk."

Rachel's eyes went wide as she looked up into her locker's mirror to see Santana standing behind her, hair pulled back in a tight ponytail (again) and her Cheerio's uniform looking clean and crisp as if just recently reacquired from a dry cleaner. Rachel and the abrasive Latino cheerleader weren't exactly chummy friends; she was pretty sure Santana took great delight in discovering new and inventive ways to torture her psychologically. She was also positive the cheerleader had been plotting with Coach Sylvester two years ago to try and destroy the Glee club, but she didn't have any proof to support that belief. What surprised Rachel this time, though, was that instead of the smug, superior look Santana usually carried, her eyes were filled with an expression Rachel wasn't used to seeing in them.

Fear.

Rachel took a deep breath and turned around to face the Cheerio. "Okay. What is it?"

Santana looked up and down the halls to make sure no one would overhear what she said. "Listen, I just want you to know that you don't have to come after me when the news hits, okay?"

"News?" Rachel querried, unsure what the cheerleader was talking about.

Santana sighed and started playing with the charm on her necklace with her one hand while the other clutched her books to her chest. Rachel was surprised at how out-of-sorts she seemed, especially in front of her. Never would she have thought the spunky athlete could look so nervous and...distraught?

"Yeah, there's news on Jacob's website that will be making the rounds quickly, I'm sure. I don't know how he did it, but apparently he's managed to interview or confirm just about every boy that's been involved in my high-school love life. It's going to be a shit-storm for me as it is regarding all the other girlfriends I'll have to face one way or another. I just wanted you to know that I understand Finn is your man, and you don't have to worry about me at all, 'kay? We cool?"

"Wait a minute." Rachel shook her head slightly, trying to understand. "Jacob put Finn on that list when you guys only had one real date two years ago? Isn't that stretching the whole 'love life' definition a bit thin?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "This is Jacob, we're talking about, Man-Hands. He doesn't exactly employ ethics when he publishes his blog. Honestly, did you see what he put up there about Quinn and Sam the other day?"

Rachel shook her head again. "I haven't been on his site in months. His idea of journalism makes the National Enquirer look reputable."

"I'm sure my weekend is going to be spent swinging a baseball bat to keep all the school fuglies away from me for my past liaisons." Santana sighed again and swallowed before facing Rachel again. "So, I just thought I'd at least apologize to those I'm closest too, let them know I won't be a threat. Okay?"

"O…kay, but we're not exactly close, Santana. The only times we ever talk to each other is in Glee."

"Trust me, compared to some of the other 'Beasts of Burden' I'll have to face in the next few days, that qualifies as close. So just accept my apology and move on, 'cause I've already spent too much time at your locker." Without waiting any further, Santana walked away quickly as if trying to make good an escape from a prison guard.

Rachel frowned as Santana walked away, turning over in her mind everything they'd just discussed. If Jacob _had_ somehow managed to track down and confirm all of Santana's past dates and boyfriends, then that would indeed have been quite the journalistic feat; the Latino cheerleader's past list of 'accomplishments' in that regard was probably longer than she was tall. _But it was only one date. Why would she be worried about me? Finn and I were only friends at the time. _She thought to herself. _And Finn told me that noth-"_ Rachel abruptly cut off her own line of thinking as a sudden, horrid thought occurred to her.

_No. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! _

Rachel frantically grabbed her new IPad out of her locker and ran to the nearest girl's bathroom. Once inside a stall with the door locked, she sat down, muted the volume and quickly made her way to Jacob's Blog Site. Cringing at the picture of the self-proclaimed "McKinley High's Voice of Truth" she tapped onto the "Latest Blog Entry" tab with a slightly trembling finger. _Please no. Please, please, please, no. _After a moment of downloading, she was greeted with the blog update.

"2012/02/17" "It's come to my attention that there has been some infighting in the ranks of the Cheerio squad regarding who has the most 'conquests' throughout the throng of adoring young male adolescents gracing McKinley's prestigious halls. So after countless hours of research, dozens of interviews, and confirmation of each name by at least two different sources, I present to you the Reigning Champion of V-Card Accumulation, SANTANA LOPEZ. Listed are all the conquests for which I'm sure she's left a smiling, happy face.

1. Noah Puckerman

2. Lilam Smith

3. David Laural

4. Jeff Shombreyer

5. Walter McIntyre

6. Vincent Peters

7. X. Azimio

8. Alex Baull

9. Neil Cuttle

10. Eric Lincoln

11. Matt Rutherford

12. Finn Hudson

13. Dmitri Sokovsky

14. Kyle Martin

15. Steven Keal

16. Cody Fass

17. Alan Miguel

18. Trent O'Mally

19. Josh Gilbert

20. Randy Mann

Rachel felt the hot tears spring to her eyes immediately. Quickly looking upwards, she closed her eyes, inhaled sharply, if shakily, and prayed that it had been a mistake; that she had only been seeing things; that her unvoiced desire of being her boyfriend's first time hadn't just been completely shattered by some loose cheerleader and a freak with a bad haircut. Slowly, reluctantly, she forced herself to re-read the list again until she came to the one dreaded name.

12. Finn Hudson

_This can't be true. Can't, can't, can't, CAN'T! _But try as she might to convince herself that this website was indeed fictional, the equivalent of a bad tabloid magazine sold in the grocery stores , she couldn't force herself to believe in her lie. Jacob was creepy, disgusting and perverted, but she knew he was excellent at research; anyone who could scoop Coach Sylvester about her own Cheerio Captain's pregnancy was obviously quite capable in the field of reporting. Rachel never in a million years would have guessed that that reporting would also be the source of destruction for one of her biggest wishes.

Feeling broken, dejected and hopeless, Rachel merely shut off her IPad, dropped it on the floor and wept quietly into her hands, wishing the pain and torture to her very soul could be washed away with each batch of tears that unwillingly came forth.

XXXXX

"ONE LIKES TO BELIEVE IN THE FREEDOM OF MUSIC! BUT GLITTERING PRIZES AND ENDLESS COMPROMISES SHATTER THE ILLUSION OF INTEGRITY, YEAH!" Finn sung along happily to one of his favourite Rush tunes, drumming on the steering wheel while driving his Mom's car the 15 minutes needed to get to Rachel's house. He idly wondered if Mr. Schue would ever consider doing a song by Rush in glee club, but the only male vocalist they had who could pull off Geddy Lee's high voice was Kurt, and Kurt said listening to Rush was the audio equivalent of receiving a double-sized slushie facial (or something like that), so that pretty much cancelled his entire idea right there.

It was a rare Thursday night when he got to have a date with his girlfriend of almost two years. _Two years! _Finn thought with a smile. If someone had told him when he first sang a _Grease_ song beside the crazy girl with the awesome voice in the auditorium all those months ago that she would become the most important person in his life (aside from his Mom, but duh, that's his _Mom_!) he would have laughed in their face and said 'No way. Nothing compared to Quinn.' He was right. Rachel was nothing compared to Quinn. Rachel was above and beyond even remote comparisons to Quinn. Not that Quinn wasn't a good girlfriend (when she wanted to be, and until 'Babygate') but Finn always knew who was number one in that relationship, and it wasn't him. With Rachel, everything felt equal. Yeah, she was still an incessant chatterer (her words, not his), and yeah, her vocabulary scared him to death sometimes, but she always asked his opinion, asked him about his dreams, went on dates planned by him with no complaints (well okay, with minor complaints, but Rachel at least endured it with a smile whereas Quinn usually demanded to be taken home right away), and made out with him with the same enthusiasm that he had, which _totally_ rocked (though it did have him summoning the 'mailman' much more often, but he wasn't going to complain. He's not a _complete _idiot). But better than anything was how she made him feel about himself. She refused to believe him when he stated how stupid he was, she helped him identify his strengths and work on his weaknesses (she claimed he did that with her, too, but he wasn't always sure how he did so) and encouraged him to just try his best. Soon, his best had gotten better and better. His grades improved dramatically (from low C's to high B's), his football improved, but mostly of course, his voice improved. All of which, in turn, made him prouder of himself, and his Mom prouder too.

Yep, Rachel was definitely the best thing in his life. And tonight, he was going to go bowling with her. She liked bowling. She had definitely gotten better at the game with only half her balls now winding up in the gutter, and she even ate the pizza with him. And he totally caught her scarffing down the slice of pepperoni pizza they ordered last time, which made him suspect she made an exception to her vegan dietary rules when it came to the pizza there. _Just another one of her little quirks_. He thought with another smile.

He pulled into the driveway at the Berry house once he saw the familiar fencing around the lawn and shut the engine off. After getting out of the car and closing the door, he looked up at the house which had practically become a second home. The place was so large compared to his Mom's old place that the term 'house' didn't seem to do the building justice, with a large foyer, separate living and dining rooms, a kitchen his Mom would kill for (no, literally, she would _kill_ for a kitchen like what they had) a sizable guest room (which he had crashed in a few times) and two master bedrooms. He had never seen a house with two master bedrooms before he had been upstairs in Rachel's house, and he figured she was the luckiest teenager in the world. He would have _loved_ to have his own bathroom, a queen sized bed, and enough room for an elliptical trainer in his bedroom. He couldn't complain though. After Burt's marriage to his Mom, he had finally agreed that they really should move into the Hummel complex. It helped that he didn't have to share a room, Burt making good on his promise to renovate and add a second bedroom upstairs and down the hall from the master bedroom (and twice the size of his old bedroom). He had enough room in there for his new double bed, his desk, his dresser, and even a space arranged in the corner for his video games, complete with his Dad's old leather recliner and a snack fridge. Puck, Mike and Sam were always jealous of his 'man-space", but he was sure he was equally as jealous of Rachel's room.

Finn bounded up the driveway and sidewalk with a spring in his step, and then rang the doorbell. "Avon calling!" He jokingly said aloud, not that he expected Rachel or her Dad's to hear it. Humming the Rush song to himself, he waited patiently for the familiar dull, echo-like sound of Rachel running down the stairs to greet him.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

_Hmm, maybe she's got the soundtrack to 'Wicked' cranked again._ Finn thought to himself. He shrugged, rang the doorbell a second time, and continued to wait patiently.

And waited.

And waited some more. Yet again.

_Is she in the shower? _He pulled out his cell phone and was just about to speed dial her number when suddenly the large door opened, Rachel behind it, standing there with one hand on the door and a dull look on her face, her eyes cast downward. She was still wearing the same clothes she had gone to school in, which Finn thought was weird because she almost never wore the same clothes on dates as she did at school. In her free hand she clutched something that looked like a crumpled up piece of paper.

"Hey." Finn said by way of greeting. He was just about to step inside and scoop her into his arms for a hug and kiss when suddenly her eyes shot from the floor to his eyes. The steel and glare in those brown, beautiful big eyes stopped him cold from taking another step. He frowned slightly, wondering what could cause Rachel to get so upset so quickly. She had seemed fine when they went their separate ways at school, him explaining that he had to skip Glee just this once due to a routine doctor's appointment. What had happened between then and now?

"Babe?"

The corners of her mouth suddenly turned down and hard, cold eyes continued to bore through his. Finn was positive he was in some kind of trouble, at this point, but nothing was coming to mind. As quickly as he could, he mentally went over every single thing that had happened since their debate about college applications last week. It wasn't really an argument, per se, but it had been emotionally draining for both of them, and they didn't really apologize to each other so much vocally as they did with a completely hot make out session a couple hours later. He scanned all the times together since then: Studying? Nope, he was totally focused on the project in history they were doing together. He liked learning about the Second World War. She covered the politics, he covered the military battles and campaigns (it was an awful lot like football plays, so it came easily to him). Glee? Nope, they had rocked their duet assignment by singing 'Broken' from Seether and Amy Lee, and despite Rachel's initial discomfort with trying to sing like an opera trained rock star, she still killed it. Lunch? Nope, they may not have talked much to each other, but Rachel was discussing some new broadway show debuting this month with Kurt while he, Sam and Puck were all carrying on about how the new rookie quarterback for the Bengals might lead his team to the Super-Bowl in a year or two. They had smiled and held hands in-between the conversations, then laughed goofily once lunch was over realizing they had only said hello to each other, exchanged a kiss and went to their separate classes.

Nothing had happened!

"Rach?"

Her mouth had now curled into a much more dangerous shape. Finn couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had never seen her in such a complete and utter...rage? This was a look he was used to seeing on the football field when an opposing player was trying to sack him. It was _not_ a look he enjoyed seeing on his beautiful girlfriend. If he didn't know better, he'd say she was..._snarling_ at him.

"Hey, whatever it is, I'm sor-"

He never finished his apology. Without warning, and faster than he expected, her right arm shot out and threw the crumpled up piece of paper straight at him. Finn was so bewildered by the action that he made no move to block the projectile and it struck him straight between the eyes, the corner of the paper just nicking his nose.

"Ow!" His hand came up and wiped the area where he felt just a small pinch of pain. "What the heck is-"

The door slammed closed forcefully in front of his face.

"What'd I do?" Finn wondered aloud to himself. This was completely unexpected behaviour from his girlfriend, and when your girlfriend was Rachel Berry, applying words like 'unexpected behaviour' didn't occur very often. In fact, it hadn't happened since the whole crack-house incident with Sunshine a year and a half ago. He was completely confused as to why he should be treated this way. He stepped forward and knocked hard on the door. "Rach? Rach, come on, won't you at least talk to me?"

In seeming response to his question, the outside light by the door was turned off, leaving him on her front step bewildered, alone and in the dark.

Finn blew out a noisy breath, then backed up a few steps to see if Rachel was in her room on the upper level of the house. "Rach!" he called out loudly as he saw her quickly go into her room by her window. He waved his arms frantically in the air to get her attention. "Rach!" he yelled again.

She didn't even look at him as she grabbed the two curtains in front of her window and slammed them together, obstructing any view he had of her or her room.

"What the hell!" He almost yelled at her, but at the last moment kept his voice down since he wasn't sure if her Dads were home or not; it wouldn't look good to swear loudly enough for them to hear him, whether Rachel was mad at him or not. He sighed again and then looked back to the door, noticing the crumpled up piece of paper she had thrown at him sitting off to the side where it had landed after hitting him. He grabbed the piece of paper and quickly unfolded it from the ball in had been squished into, but with all of the creases and lack of light, he couldn't properly read what had been written on the page. Fishing the car keys out of his pocket, he took one last longing look at Rachel's window and then returned to his Mom's car. Slamming the door closed, he pushed the keys into the ignition and started the engine before thumbing the inside light on. He returned his attention to the paper, reading the contents.

_Oh no! _Finn thought as he scanned the list again, eyes wide with horror and the ominous feeling in his gut increasing. When he saw his name at number twelve, he closed his eyes and shook his head. _Shit! Shit, shit, shit, SHIT! _

Rachel had found out about his night with Santana; had found out he had lied two years ago and had never manned up to tell her the truth since then. Finn's stomach had dropped to his feet and his throat had gone completely dry. He slammed his head backwards into the head-rest on the driver's seat repeated. _Nice work, Finn! _He scolded himself. _Best thing to happen in your life and you screwed her over because you couldn't just tell her the fucking truth to begin with. _How Jacob had discovered this and posted on his blog, Finn wasn't sure, but at this point it didn't really matter. The damage was done, and now he'd have to try and make it up to her. _If she doesn't break up with me because of this! _Finn sourly thought.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything he could do about the situation tonight. Rachel had already made it clear that she was _not _going to talk to him, no matter how much he might try to discuss the subject. All he could do was try and call later. He slammed his head back into the seat rest again, wiped a tear threatening to leak down his face, then pulled his seatbelt around himself and drove away with unusual carelessness.

He might be alone tonight, but he was _definitely_ going bowling to calm himself down.

* * *

**Lyrics are from "The Spirit of Radio", written and performed by Rush. **

**Any reviews, good or bad, would be appreciated. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A big thank you to everyone who has read the first chapter, left reviews, and requested notification when further chapters come out. That's really appreciated. **

**For some reason Puck strong-armed his POV into the beginning of this chapter, and Finn didn't object because he was too busy trying to think of a way to get Rachel talking to him again, so I just went with it. Don't worry though, Finn will have many more POV chapters in the future, I'm sure. Enjoy. **

****

**

* * *

**

Puck grunted as he held the punching bag, trying to keep it steady as his best friend continued to punch – no, _pound - _his fists into it, time and again. Checking the clock, he realized it had been almost 15 minutes of continual pounding and the 6'3" giant in front of him didn't seem ready to even slow down. Finn's glare continued as he threw another left right combination, followed by jab and a vicious uppercut that probably would have floored anyone unfortunate to be on the other side of it. Another jab and a right hook followed two other jabs and a punishing body blow. Puck was glad these punches were being aimed at the bag and not him. The last time Finn had punched him was at the end of the whole 'Babygate' fiasco two years ago, and even then it had felt like getting kicked in the head by a horse. These punches seemed to have even more power and muscle behind them.

"Okay, time out, dude." Puck said as Finn landed a final blow to the bag and then sucked in a lungful of air from the exertion. Shaking his head, Puck walked over to his gym bag and grabbed two bottles of water, tossing one to his friend before unscrewing the cap and taking a sip. Finn, meanwhile, ripped off his glove with his teeth, then unscrewed the cap and proceeded to guzzle the water greedily, not caring that some of it splashed and spilled down his shirt. Half the bottle was gone before Finn decided to swallow and take another deep breath. "Wow, what's got you so worked up, man?" Puck asked.

Finn just gave Puck a pointed '_drop-it-now' _look that told him everything he needed to know. Puck laughed outright and shook his head. "You gotta be kidding me. Again?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Finn grumbled, wiping the sweat off with the towel from his own gym bag.

"Sure, that's cool." Puck said moving over to the row of lockers Finn had walked to and then leaning on them while crossing his arms. "I'm sure McKinley High will be more than happy to charge your Mom for a new punching bag, 'cause Dude, you're beating the absolute _shit_ out of that thing. No wonder Azimio doesn't bother you anymore."

"I've been working out a lot, that's all." Finn responded. "Probably have lots of time to do more, now, too."

Rolling his eyes, Puck turned and opened his locker, pulling out a towel and his toiletries. "Overdramatic much, douche-bag? She's wearing off on you." Finn shrugged as he grabbed his own toiletries and towel. When Puck got no further response from his insult, he slammed Finn's locker in front of him, causing Finn to jump a bit. "Fuck man, don't be such a pansy. Its guys' night tonight and I don't want to be hanging with a mopey best friend because of some dumbass 'Clash-of-the-Titans' shit between you and Rachel. Now either spill or shrug it off!"

Finn glared at him briefly, but his face twisted back to its usual pained expression Puck knew was an indication something was wrong with his love-life. Sighing in resignation, Finn turned and sat on the bench. "She found out." He said simply.

"About what?" Puck asked, immediately confused. Another pointed look from Finn clued him in. "Oh, shit. THAT!"

"Yeah, THAT!" Finn said, lacing the word with a reasonable amount of venom. "Things were going well too, apart from the stuff about college. Then when I go pick her up for our date last night, she opens the door and throws a printout of one of Jacob's blogs before slamming it closed again. There it is like some bad joke, a list of _all_ the guys Santana had hooked up with. I was, like, number twelve or something. It was all I could do to not go all Mortal Kombat on Jacob's ass in the hall today. "

Puck resumed his leaning posture on the lockers and openly grinned at the mental picture of Finn upper-cutting Jacob's head off his shoulders, blood gushing everywhere, but he shook himself from the comical image as another question sprang to mind. "Why the fuck was Rachel reading that blog? I thought she hated him."

"Ach!" Finn threw his hands in the air and then pushed himself up off the bench. "Who knows? She won't call or text me and I haven't seen her all day. I've almost given up trying to understand her. Every time I think I've figured her out, she pulls out the Shakespeare."

Puck's eyebrows went up in surprise at his friend's expression. "Pulls out the Shakespeare?"

The corner of Finn's mouth went up slightly. "Got that from Artie. You know, all dramatic and intense and using big words to make a point that I don't get half the time. Only now she's not bothering with words." Finn grabbed his stuff and headed to the showers.

"That doesn't sound like Rachel. She's usually dying to use big words. And make speeches." Puck stood up from his leaning posture and shrugged, following Finn into the shower area with his own towel and toiletries. "Guess you'll just have to get down on your knees and beg forgiveness."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Finn groaned.

"Not tonight, man. Tonight, fuck that shit. Drop that emotional baggage and let's enjoy pizza, beer and blasting aliens to hell and back. I tell ya, when I get into it with one of my ladies, nothing cheers me up faster than that. Uh, well, nothing except..."

"I really don't wanna hear the rest of that." Finn said quickly, turning on his shower and wiping himself down. "Besides, after this fiasco, I can pretty much bet the house that THAT's not gonna happen. Not that it's EVER happened."

Puck looked up quickly across the top of the wall separating the two shower stalls, astonishment plastered on his face. "Wha-…wait…are you serious? You and she have been together almost two years and nothing?"

"We've definitely walked up and looked in the door, but never…you know…" Finn sighed and wiped his eyes and face free of the water. "After wasting the whole deal for myself with Santana, I wanted to be sure the next time was worth it, ya know? Wait until it seemed right. I sure as hell have no right to pressure Rachel into anything she doesn't want, especially after how I treated her when we first got together."

Puck whistled. "Damn, Hudson, now I know you're in deep. That has to be either true love or utter stupidity. Two years and that moment hasn't come yet? Fuck me."

"I'll leave that to your MILF brigade. They seem to have a handle on it."

"Nice one, Mr. Sandler. So whatcha gonna do?"

Finn shrugged as he squeezed shampoo into his hand. "Take your advice for tonight, I think. She still hasn't answered any of my messages, so the ball is pretty much in her court now. I've sent three texts and a call and nothing all day. I'm _not_ gonna go all stalker-like and chase her down in person. If she's ready to hear me out, fine, but 'till then, I'm not gonna stop living my life."

Puck smiled at his friend as he rinsed himself off. "Hudson, I don't know if that's balls or maturity talking, but when it comes to _your_ girlfriend, you probably need to have a bit of both. Beer, Pizza and Xbox it is."

Finn returned his friend's grin, then it slowly slid off his face as a puzzled look replaced its features. "Puck, you're only 18. How do you _always _get beer?"

Puck laughed and shook his head. "Watch and learn, Young Grasshopper. Watch and learn."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Rachel sat cross-legged on her bed, simultaneously hugging her large pillow, wringing her hands and biting her lip while staring at the two things in front of her. On the left, her laptop, still displaying Jacob's awful website listing all the boys with whom Santana had hooked up. She wouldn't have even cared about this webpage or list if it wasn't for number twelve.

_Finn Hudson_.

On the right, her cell phone, showing clearly she had three text messages and a voicemail. She made a conscious decision to not listen to the voicemail as she was sure the sound of his soft voice would immediately cause her to press his speed dial button and scream at him, consequences be damned. But she remembered each of those text messages as they had been replaying in her mind ever since she read them.

[Rach plse lets talk bout this. ]

[Cmon Rach. Ansr plse.]

[Rach u need 2 call me 2 talk. Plse call, k?]

How could he _not_ have told her that he had lost his virginity to Santana? _SANTANA! _The little skank had made no bones to anyone about wanting to take the virginity of as many football players as possible. Most of them willingly obliged her. Rachel wasn't blind. She knew Santana was just about every high school boy's fantasy for a first time hook up (Kurt being an obvious exception), with her jet black hair, smouldering eyes, tanned Latino skin and near-perfectly sculpted body; Santana practically oozed sex and seduction out of her pores. Most teenage guys couldn't have a normal conversation with her let alone ignore her sexual overtures. Rachel had just been positive that Finn was completely different.

_Are you serious, Rachel? _The voice in her mind said. _He's a teenage boy! A giant walking hormone! He averts his gaze when you eat a banana! _

She sniffed and wiped her eyes again as another tear threatened to leak down her cheek. Was he really so stupid as to not know that she was the only one for him? How could he not have waited for her? They were supposed to be each other's firsts. It was practically _destiny_. But no, instead her heart had been ripped from her chest and crushed by him yet again. She was furious that he had lied to her. She was devastated that he hadn't told her himself. It had been _two years_ and he _still _hadn't told her what really happened. Was he planning on telling her at all? Now that specialness of his first time would forever be denied to her.

A knock at the door awoke her from her jumbled thoughts and emotions. "Rachel, honey? Everything okay? It's awfully quiet in there."

She composed herself as best she could before getting off the bed and opening the door, not bothering to wait for her father to come in. Hiram stepped past the threshold and then followed Rachel over to the bed, sitting down on the opposite corner before handing her a glass of water. "I heard some sniffling and knew you must be upset, so I thought you could use this."

Rachel took the proffered water and drank deeply, allowing the cool liquid to soothe her sore throat. "Thanks Daddy. At least there are two men in the world who won't break my heart."

Hiram looked taken aback at her statement. "Something wrong between you and Finn? I thought you guys made up."

"This has nothing to do with college applications." Rachel clarified and then turned her laptop around so that her Dad could look at the contents of the webpage.

Her father took a pair of glasses out of his shirt pocket and put them on, studying the computer screen. His eyebrows went up in surprise, and Rachel could easily hear the disgust in his voice. "They post lists like this on student run websites? Is it really anyone's business with whom this girl has been?"

"Only with number twelve, Daddy."

Hiram returned his attention to the list and looked up number twelve. Rachel was waiting for him to explode with righteous fury and proclaim that Finn Hudson would never again be allowed to step foot in the Berry household, or demand that she break up with him effective immediately. It had taken him a long time to get used to the idea of Rachel dating a boy, let alone the school's quarterback. Thinking she would have to calm down a sudden firestorm of anger and bloodlust from her father, she was surprised when instead all he did was frown, return his glasses to his shirt pocket, and regard her in a curious manner. "Has he tried to talk to you about this?"

Rachel looked guiltily at the cell phone. "He's called me once and left three text messages, but I'm too angry to allow his sugary discourse to influence my feelings."

"I noticed that they don't give a date for and of these 'conquests' as they're called. Interesting vernacular that, by the way. Were you two already dating at the time this occurred?"

Rachel squirmed a little under her father's inquiring gaze, uncomfortable with the unspoken implications of his question. "Not exactly." She admitted.

"Then why-..."

"Because he LIED to me. He told me he couldn't go through with it. He told me that it had just been a regular date and that after dinner he found her to be annoying, callous, unpleasant and no longer desired to maintain even platonic relations with her outside of Glee club. He's had two years to inform me instead that he legitimately felt something for her. Two years to tell me he had sexual relations with her. And he never even broached the subject." She collapsed back on her bed, fresh tears threatening to spill forth as she tossed her pillow off to the side. "And with SANTANA! The school's resident walking mattress! A promiscuous little trollup who would spread her legs at the first inclination of a man's carnal desires for her."

She heard her father let out a slow breath, obviously trying to contain himself a bit. Dad had always been better at handling her outbursts and understanding her emotionally. Why couldn't he have been here? Why did he have to have a dinner meeting with his clients tonight?

After a pause, she heard her father's voice through her tears. "Rachel?" Her eyes turned towards him. "Why don't you just break up with him?

"What?" Rachel's head lifted off the bed, her tears and wetted cheeks forgotten at the mere mention of her father's question. "Daddy, I-...I can't!

"Why not? Then you don't have to worry about what lies he'll tell next."

"Daddy, he doesn't engage in this type activity every day."

"Nor will you have to worry about which girl he's with."

"I don't want him to be with someone else! I love him."

Hiram shrugged his shoulders. "Well then why get so upset, Rachel?"

Rachel's eyes narrowed at her father, her annoyance actually starting to build at the stupid smile her Daddy was giving her. She fell right into his trap. Angrily she pointed an accusing finger at him. "I'm not one of your clients, Daddy. Don't play your reverse psychology games with me. That's not fair!"

"Fair? I'm your father. When did 'fair' ever enter into the equation?" Hiram chuckled as he gently pushed her finger aside, still smirking from her previous admissions. "Okay, fine, he lied and yes, you should definitely talk about that. But you just admitted this isn't normal for him. This may come as a real shocker, I know, but teenage boys don't always understand or think about the importance of having the proper emotions for a girl who's ready to sleep with him. Now, on the other hand, if you really do love him, you shouldn't care about his past liaisons. It shouldn't matter to you. Do you think when your father and I met that his past mattered to me? Do you think mine mattered to him?"

"But we were _supposed_ to be each other's _first_!" Rachel practically shouted, forgetting for a moment to whom she was talking. She averted her eyes from his stunned expression, a far-too-late warning screamed into her mind. _ALERT! ALERT! PARENTAL UNIT DOES NOT NEED TO BE INFORMED OF YOUR SEXUAL DESIRES. _

Much to her surprise, Hiram's face changed from initial shock to one of slow comprehension with his lips stretching into a thin line. He took a deep breath and looked at her seriously. "Well, if you're considering _that_ sort of activity, Rachel, then I know you must really be in love with him."

Rachel's disbelief at her Dad's calm acceptance of the situation must have been registered on her face, because he chuckled and put a hand comfortingly on her leg. "Rachel, honey, you're eighteen now. It would be naive of both your fathers to think you don't have those types of feelings or desires, especially for a boy who's shown his devotion to you for two years. I knew sooner or later this subject would come up." Hiram held up a quick hand. "That _doesn't_ mean I want a detailed account of when, where and how it happens, thank you."

For the first time that night, Rachel smiled slightly. "Noted." She huffed in annoyance. "I'm still furious with him, though."

"When did you find out?"

"Yesterday. We were supposed to go bowling, but when he came to pick me up I was so upset I didn't trust myself to speak. I just opened the door and hit him between the eyes with a crumpled up printout of this webpage before coming back inside." She hugged herself tightly around her midsection. "I almost feel nauseous at the thought of him and that...that _thing_ together."

"So you didn't talk to him yesterday when he came to pick you up, and you haven't returned his calls or text messages." Rachel shook her head, and Hiram sighed deeply before tapping his lips in thought. "Probably not the most mature way to handle these things, honey."

"Daddy-"

"No, let me finish." Hiram said, cutting her off quietly. "You are becoming a woman now, Rachel, in your thoughts, your feelings, and your desires. If you're old enough to have these feelings, and old enough to want to...er...take things further with Finn, then you have to be old enough to handle the conflicts that sometimes come with that, too. Slamming a door in his face and refusing to speak to him aren't the actions of an adult, Rachel. Sitting down somewhere and telling him how you feel, is. And on the flip side, you should expect honesty and a thoughtful answer from him, also. He's hurt you, so don't just accept the first apology he gives. Ask questions until you're satisfied you know where he's coming from. Then hopefully you'll both understand each other that much more. That's the mature way to do things, honey."

Rachel squirmed again under her father's direct gaze and tone of voice. Upon reflection, she _had_ been rather childish. Finn didn't deserve that. He _definitely_ didn't deserve outright forgiveness for his lie, but he shouldn't be given the silent treatment, either. They had been together too long and been through too much for this kind of tirade. "I'll consider it." She relented, her eyes still downcast.

Hiram nodded and got off the bed, about to leave. "Just don't take too long, Rachel. He might think you've lost your voice or something. "

Rachel rolled her eyes and Hiram chuckled before he left her room. Once gone, she turned and stared at her phone. Three texts and a voicemail. She still hadn't heard the voicemail, so she opened her phone and punched in her password to listen.

"Rachel, listen, I'm sorry. Really, really sorry. That was a totally crappy way for you to find out, I admit. I screwed up…like, royally, completely, screwed up, and…okay, bad pun on my part, I guess, but I'm not great with words, you know. Anyway, just call or text or come over or whatever. Let's talk. Please. I love you."

She sighed, feeling tears ready to roll down her cheeks again. Not trusting herself to talk right at that moment, she decided to text him instead.

*Finn? Are you there?*

* * *

**Reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated. **


	3. Chapter 3

**The chapter is pretty almost all from Finn's POV (with cameos by Rachel). In fact, most of the following chapters seem to be coming out from Finn's POV. Couldn't help it, that's just the way the characters told me to write it. Guess they're all busy with other stories, but Finn decided to hang around and help out. Anyway, enjoy. **

* * *

"So what's up with you and Berry?" Mike asked around a massive bite of his pizza slice as they took a temporary break from their Halo marathon. Finn rolled his eyes while reaching for his third slice. He didn't really want to talk about it yet again, but he knew if he didn't tell his side of the story now, Mike and Sam were likely to get a different version of it from Rachel…by way of the other Gleeks, of course.

"Berry found out her boyfriend isn't as Finnocent as she thought." Puck supplied for him while reaching over to grab another bottle of beer, the first one already having been tossed into the recycling container. After waiting for Puck to open his next bottle, Finn grabbed his own and tapped it hard on the top of Puck's new drink, causing it to spill over the sides and Puck to leap out of his seat to keep it from soaking his pants. "Fucker!" Puck glared at him while grabbing the paper-towels to clean up the mess as Finn responded with a middle finger salute.

"Must have something to do with sex." Sam said after swallowing another gulp from his own bottle. Finn stared hard at his team-mate, wondering how the blond boy had figured that out so quickly. Sam raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged. "Deductive reasoning, Finn. Rachel's made it more than obvious she's happy with you and declares her love in almost any song she can. You guys don't fight all that often, which means when you do, it has to be about something serious. That leaves only a handful of subjects, and of those subjects, only sex could be construed to coincide with the statement Puck just made. Really, it's all very logical."

Mike and Puck stared at Sam with open mouths. Finn figured his own confused expression was enough of a giveaway that he had no idea Sam's brain could work so fast when his own wasn't even keeping up. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Yeah, so, anyway, Rachel found out that I hooked up with Santana a couple years ago."

Sam's brows furrowed together in confusion. "Really? Was it behind Rachel's back? Did you cheat on her?"

"Nah, man." Mike said, grabbing the bag of potato chips that accompanied their main meal. "This was before Finn and Rachel were official. Rachel was with that douche Jesse at the time."

Finn threw his hands in the air in disgust. "Do I even wanna know how you found out? Did you read Jacob's blog too?"

Mike shook his head as he gulped down his mouthful of chips. "Brittany told me a long time ago. It was before I even started hanging out with you guys a lot. I just kept my mouth shut because it really wasn't any of my business."

Sam pointed to the paper-towels in Puck's hands and Puck tossed them over the table to him. Sam grabbed one and wiped the grease off his mouth. "I'm perplexed as to why it should matter to her then. Rachel had no claim on you at the time. She shouldn't have an issue, should she?"

The senior quarterback sighed and pressed his hands into his eyes. "Her issue is that I was a fuckin' moron and told her I couldn't go through with it. Told her nothing happened with Santana. And even though I've thought about how to tell her and when and where and everything else, it just never seemed like the right time. And besides which, Rachel hasn't even told me that she wants to start hitting home runs instead of just reaching third base, so I didn't think I would even _need_ to talk about it soon! On top of that, I'm embarssed and disgusted with myself for even agreeing to do it with Santana because it meant absolutely NOTHING!"

The guys were all silent for a moment, probably surprised at Finn's sudden outburst. In fact, Finn was a little surprised himself. He guessed he was still a bit wound up that Rachel had yet to respond to him. In frustration, Finn grabbed his pizza again and took another bite, deciding to keep his mouth busy so he wouldn't produce any further word vomit.

It was Puck who finally broke the silence. "What's so wrong with what you did?" Puck asked as the other three turned to give him the stink eye. The mohawked teen held up his hands defensively. "Seriously. What's wrong with a single guy having fun with a single girl if they're both ready, willing and able? Shit, Hudson, you make it sound like you committed a fuckin' felony by bedding a hot chick! D'you know how many guys in school want her that way? So it meant nothing…so what? Didn't mean anything to her either, I'm sure." Puck turned his chair around so he was straddling it backwards as he sat down and leaned forward. "For once, I agree with Sam…you and Rachel weren't even dating then. It's not like you cheated on her."

"No, but I lied to her." Finn said after swallowing his food. "I told her it never happened in the first place. And I'm sure that THAT's what she's upset about."

Suddenly Finn's phone started to vibrate and yelled "Touchdown!" like a sports-caster calling a football game. Sam looked up in amusement as Finn's hand practically dove into his pocket to rip out his phone, pulling a few pieces of pocket lint with it. "Doesn't it annoy you to have that sound every time you get a text message?"

"It's to help remind him of his objective as quarterback." Puck joked as Finn frantically opened his phone to read the message. Mike couldn't help but look over to see his friend's text message, but Finn was too engrossed in his phone to notice. Immediately, Finn texted his message back to Rachel.

[ Rach! Finally! R U O K? ]

*We need to talk. REALLY talk. Will you please come by?*

"Come by?" Finn repeated as he read her second text message. He started to get out of his seat. "She wants to talk to me. Now."

"Fuck that." Puck shook his head before clapping a hand on Finn's arm and dragging him back down into the chair. "You're busy."

"Yeah, but-"

"Don't be a pussy, Fidiot!" Puck slammed his beer down on the kitchen table, causing a bit more to spill out the top. Puck used his shirt sleeve to wipe it up as he continued. "You already called and texted her to try and make things right. She ignored you. Remember what you said earlier to me in the locker room? Don't stop living your life. She had her chance, she blew you off. Well two can play that game."

Before he could protest further, Finn noticed Mike and Sam nodding slightly at what Puck was saying. And truth be told, his friend was right. Why was he always jumping up at Rachel's whim to do whatever she wanted? He had tried previously, and now that she had deigned an interest into his motivations, NOW she wanted to talk (did he really just think that in those words? She _was_ rubbing off on him). Puck was right. Rachel could wait.

**xxxxx**

Another couple of minutes passed before an electronic blip indicated to Rachel she had a text. She looked down to read it.

[ Sorry. Halo w/ guys tonite. ]

Rachel could feel her blood begin to boil again at being given the brush-off. Her she was, emotionally devastated to discover her boyfriend lied to her about his first time with another woman, and he was off playing video games? She was about to text something uncharacteristically unkind to him, but she took a deep breath as her father's words of admonishment reined her in. _Adult. Adult. Behave like an adult! _She told herself. _Besides, Finn tried to talk to you earlier, and you ignored him. Can't blame him for making other plans when you blew him off for 24 hours. _Another blip on her phone indicated a further text message.

[ Free 2morrow tho. ]

She bit her lip. Adult conversation probably hadn't been her strongest suit to this point, but her father was right; she loved Finn and he deserved to be heard out. Briefly she thought of telling him to be ready for her to collect him at 8:00am as some small form of revenge for the hell and pain he'd just put her through, but that, again, wouldn't be very 'adult' of her. She knew Finn rarely woke up before noon on Saturdays unless there was very good reason.

_Well, am _I _not a very good reason? _

Her fingers had already begun texting.

**xxxxx**

Puck rolled his eyes and slapped Finn on the back of the head. "Geez, why the fuck did you admit that you're free tomorrow?"

Finn glared at his friend as he rubbed the sore spot where Puck had smacked him. "Because it's true, you fuckin' tard! I'm trying to be honest with her, for fuck's sake."

"Just because you're trying to be honest with her doesn't mean you have to admit when you're free. Let her chase you a bit. Shit, Hudson, have you learned nothing?"

"I've learned that not telling the truth means it'll come back to bite you thanks to the school's freaky-looking journalist. And in case you hadn't noticed, Ass-Munch, that didn't go so well for me. I'm trying to fix things here, so back the fuck away from my head."

Puck threw his hands in the air while rolling his eyes a second time. "If I'd known I was inviting a _chick_ over here, I would have lit some fuckin' candles."

Finn guffawed. "Like candles could hide the stench of your jockstrap."

Mike was practically snorting beer out of his nose at the exchange of their two friends. Turning towards Sam, he said "I love watching Beavis and Butt-Head in action, don't you?"

Sam nodded around another potato chip that he popped into his mouth. "Yes, it's much more entertaining live and in-person than on television."

Puck gave the other two a double dose of middle-finger sign language as another "Touchdown" sounded from Finn's phone. This time the guys made no bones about crowding around the small screen to simultaneously read the message.

* Pick me up at 8:00. AM! For breakfast! We'll talk then.*

"Is she insane?" Finn asked rhetorically. "School doesn't even start at 8:00am on _weekdays_ let alone trying to have a talk about this sort of shit."

"Maybe it's a test?" Sam queried aloud. "See how far she can push you? She might back off if you show some hesitation."

"But not too much hesitation." Mike warned. "Make sure you're not telling her outright that you won't. Just see if she really wants to meet that early. She's probably being angry and irrational and hasn't thought through just how early 8:00am is. I mean, that's _really damn _early."

Finn looked to Puck, but he shrugged in a non-commital manner, so Finn texted the only thing he could think of to meet everyone's requirements.

**xxxxx**

She smiled vindictively and could just imagine Finn now complaining to Puck about needing to get up earlier than noon. Just because the conversation was going to be handled like adults didn't mean _everything_ had to be. If he wanted her forgiveness, he better be ready to put some effort into it. Another phone blip sounded and she read its line.

[ R U 4 real? ]

Yes, he was definitely upset about the time, but she shrugged it off. _Suck it up, Buttercup! _She automatically responded to his text with another one of her own.

*Yes! Are you?*

**xxxxx**

"Oooooooooooohhhh", the guys crowded around Finn's phone all winced when they saw those three words.

"Yep, you're fucked." Puck grinned, walking away from the phone and grabbing the potato chips to stuff his face again. "She's serious."

Finn stared at the screen, his brain still trying to understand how the combined wit of four guys was completely destroyed by three little words. After that text, he knew with certainty there was nothing he could do to prove how serious he was about her except to cave into her demand.

Again.

_Sometimes love really does suck! _He thought absently.

His shoulders slumped and he grumbled something about how she was going to be the death of him as he texted back to her, Sam and Mike clapping him on the shoulder in support and sympathy.

[ Alright. 8AM. I'll B there. ]

**xxxxx**

Finn dragged himself into the Hudson-Hummel complex around 12:30am, his eyes feeling strained and bugged-out from staring at Puck's television from his Halo marathon. He wasn't even sure why he bothered to stay and keep playing after the text messages from Rachel. His mind was so pre-occupied with the upcoming conversation that Mike, Puck and Sam all blasted him to dust within minutes of each game starting. Still, it served as a distraction until Puck finally called it at 12:15am, saying he had to take his sister to soccer practice in the morning. Of course, that wasn't until 10:00am or so. After the mess he had made, Finn couldn't say with certainty that he'd still have a girlfriend by that time.

After brushing his teeth and quickly washing his face, he turned into his room and kicked his shoes off, dropping onto the new double bed his Mom and Burt had just bought for him. It was far more comfortable than his old twin bed, even if he did have to lay diagonally to completely stretch out on it. He figured after stretching out on his bed and sinking his head into the pillows, sleep would just automatically overtake him, but such was not the case. Instead, his mind whirled in a maelstrom (another awesome word! Who knew English class could teach vocabulary, too?) of thoughts from the last few days. Jacob's blog, Rachel's frightening 'I-would-rather-castrate-you-where-you-stand' look when she pitched that printout at him (really, she should try out for a co-ed softball team with that arm. He didn't think a paper ball could make that forceful an impact on someone's forehead), his conversation with Puck and the guys, and the text message implying he wasn't being serious in his relationship with Rachel (damn her scary intelligence)_._ He sighed loudly and started punching his pillows to try and beat them into some form more comfortable for his head, when he heard a soft knock at his door.

"Finn?"

"Hey Mom." Finn clicked on his bedside light to let his Mom see where she was going in his room. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Carole smiled as she walked in and sat at the end of his bed. "No, I got caught up in a romance movie on the movie channel. I didn't know that there were entire t.v. channels dedicated to that sort of thing now. Burt couldn't keep his eyes open, though. He's sawing logs…softly, for once, but still asleep. You sounded like you were upset with your pillows. Does beating them up help?"

Finn blew out a loud breath in frustration and plopped back down on his bed, his arm covering his eyes. "No, but I was hoping it would."

"Trouble with Rachel?"

"It's disturbing how you can read me like that."

Carole smiled. "I'm your mother, Finn. I can read you like a book because I raised you. So, tell me what the problem is. Maybe I can help. Unless you did something unkind to her, and then I'd say you deserve every ounce of suffering you get because she's a sweetheart and treats you better than gold."

"Thanks Mom. Just a little further through the back and I think that knife will be coming out my chest." Finn groused and covered his face with his pillow.

"Oh, Finn." Carole pulled the pillow out of his grasp and tossed it on the leather recliner in the corner of the room. "Don't be dramatic. Just tell me what happened."

Finn sighed again and propped himself up so that his back was leaning against his headboard. He closed his eyes and started speaking in a rush, embarrassed at how quickly everything was coming out of his mouth and all the rambling he was doing. 'Word Vomit' didn't do his speech justice. He started with his night with Santana and continued on from there, finally ending with Rachel discovering his lie through Jacob's website. After a continuous monologue of about ten minutes, Finn dared a look into his Mom's face, and his stomach tightened into a knot. From the look in his Mom's eyes he could tell that she was disappointed and sad at the choices he'd made. Still, she didn't run out of the room screaming, which was something he was worried about after admitting to his tryst with Santana (hell, _he _wanted to run out of the room screaming when he thought about it), and she didn't lecture him immediately about his mistakes. Instead, she just sat there in silence, thinking about everything he had revealed. At least, he hoped she was thinking about it. It would be really sad if her mind had wandered back to that romance movie she had mentioned before.

After a quick sigh of her own, she shook her head sadly, then had an alarmed look in her eye. "You used protection, right? Please, Dear God, _please _tell me you used protection!"

"No Mom, I thought going bare-back would be more enjoyable, it being my first time and all." Finn replied sarcastically. He was rewarded with a slight cringe from his Mom, but the death glare she sent him afterwards convinced him that any more such comments would be extremely unwise. "I _did_ learn a thing or two after the whole Quinn thing, you know. Of course I used protection."

Carole sighed in relief, some of the tension leaving her body. "Alright." After smoothing out her housecoat she returned her gaze to him. "Finn, I thought I taught you that honesty is always the best policy. Didn't you believe me?"

"I did, but this was just, I don't know, different." Finn took another deep breath to control his inner turmoil. "I didn't want Rachel to think I was just the same as every other dumb jock at high school who can't control his urges, I guess."

"Unfortunately, Finn, that's exactly what you _did_ prove. Lying to her about it just made the situation worse. And keeping it secret for two years? That's where you really messed up, kiddo."

"Yeah, Mom, I get it. I screwed up royally. Now, just so you don't rip out _all_ my guts, do you have any advice as to what I should say to Rachel?"

Carole sighed, thinking it over for a moment before answering. "Well, I suppose the same things you just told me. She has to know why you lied and what you were thinking when it happened. Really, what else can you say? Be honest about everything. And when I say that, I mean _everything_, Finn. It's been two years, and from what I've seen, you guys aren't really playing the whole 'high-school-dating-game' anymore. If this is serious for both of you, _be serious_ about it."

Finn frowned. "And if she breaks up with me?" he asked hoarsely, not really wanting to give voice to the thought but unable to keep it inside.

Carole spread her hands a bit to either side of her body. "Then she does, Finn. She's the only one who can decide how to handle this. There's nothing more you can do than be honest and fight to keep her, but in the end, it's all still her decision. I don't think she will, though. She loves you, Finn. She may not say it a lot around other people, but I can tell just the way her eyes follow you, the way she smiles when you come near, the way she curls herself into you when you hug her, the way she patiently helps you with your homework. One time I caught her sitting by the door to the bathroom, eyes closed and smiling, just listening to you sing in the shower without you realizing she was there. She's hooked on you, and thankfully you were smart enough to figure out how wonderful she was."

Blowing out a shaky breath, Finn shook his head and stared up at the ceiling. "Relationships in movies and tv always seem so easy compared to what I go through with girls."

Carole laughed genuinely at his comment. "Finn, I'm going to let you in on a secret the media loves to gloss over. Making a relationship work is just that; _work!_ You have to be honest and communicate with each other constantly. There are no magic potions, genies in a lamp or notebooks lying around that can ensure a happily-ever-after. Life happens, situations occur, events shape and change the way we all behave and react, and in a strong relationship all of that has to be shared between partners. What's important is that instead of hiding those situations and keeping secrets, you open up about everything, especially the stuff you're ashamed and scared of." Carole smiled and put her hand on his cheek in a motherly gesture of love. "Open up, Finn. Let her see everything you're scared of. Let her tell you her pain. You'll both be stronger for it."

Finn realized that one of his eyes was starting to get a bit teary, so he quickly wiped away the moisture from the corner of his eye while trying ignore the sudden lump in his throat. His Mom smiled as she grasped his hand and squeezed tight, giving him a sudden feeling of strength and confidence. He nodded to her. Yes, he could do this with Rachel.

_And afterwards, if we're still together_, Finn thought, _total honesty. Complete. _

_Unless she guesses what I get her for her birthday. _

_

* * *

_

**Again, any reviews whether good or bad would be appreciated. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so here is "The Talk". Again, thank you to all who have given me kind reviews and/or asked for quick updates (sorry - the weekend was too busy to even consider it). POV shifts a bit erratically (I felt if flowed better that way) but it is mostly from Finn's perspective. Anyway, hope you all enjoy. **

**Disclaimer - see Chapter 1, if you must. **

****

**

* * *

**

Finn sat at the table in the local IHOP and gulped down his coffee, trying to keep his eyes open and his stomach from doing knots. The fact that he hated coffee didn't concern him; he downed it in an effort to stay awake and alert for the verbal onslaught (_thanks Mr. Shue for that little gem_) he was sure would soon pour from his girlfriend's mouth. He had enough trouble keeping track of what she was saying at the best of times, let alone when conversations like this happened. He saw Rachel watching him, one of her eyebrows arched slightly as if displeased with his sudden desire for caffeine, but thankfully she said nothing.

"So, what would you kids like?" The far too cheerful for 8:25am waitress asked as she came over with her notepad and pen. Finn was about to order, but decided against it in an effort to be chiv-...chivil-...chivilir- (damn, what was that word? He hated early mornings)...as polite as possible. Instead he motioned to Rachel, hopping his thoughtfulness might get more than the icy stare out of her.

He wasn't rewarded with such.

Rachel scanned the menu again for her choice. "I'll have the breakfast fruit bowl with a side of hash-browns, please."

The waitress raised an eyebrow at the odd request, but shrugged and jotted it down on her notepad before nodding and turned to Finn. He handed his menu back to her. "I'll have the Colorado Omelette, and can I get another cup of coffee, please?"

The waitress smiled again, then took their menus and moved towards the kitchen. Rachel frowned at him disapprovingly as he sat back and tried to stretch out tired muscles. "Isn't that a bit heavy for a nutritious breakfast?"

Finn resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I didn't think discussing my eating habits were the reason we got up so early on a Saturday?"

Rachel scowled again and crossed her arms, staring out the window they sat beside. Perhaps Finn shouldn't have said that, but it was too late to take it back now. Man, he needed another cup of coffee, or he was going to totally blow this conversation. He waited for Rachel to say something, but she remained silent for another minute before her eyes changed direction from the window to him. "Well?" She asked suddenly.

"Deep subject." Finn smiled slightly, hoping to inject some humour into the situation.

It didn't work as well as he'd hoped. Rachel glowered at him again, and though Finn wouldn't admit it to her in that moment, she looked ridiculously adorable. "Stop trying to laugh your way out of the issue at hand, Finnegan." She said sternly.

_Uh-oh! _Finn thought to himself, quickly changing his mind about how adorable Rachel was looking. Rachel only called him "Finnegan" when she was seriously upset. _No, _he thought, _not upset...PISSED_. His half smile fell off his face as he took a breath to say something, only to be interrupted by her before his thoughts had completely formed. "You LIED to me. You told me you couldn't go through with it. For two years, you've lied to me. I thought when we finally figured each other out after Regionals two years ago that we agreed there would be no more lying, only to be proven by Jacob, of all people, that everything I had believed was nothing but a fabrication of the truth."

Finn's eyes grew wide and he was sure he looked as confused as he felt. "Sorry, Rach, but what does fabric have to do with what we're talking about?"

"Two years, Finn." Rachel continued on, ignoring his question. "You could have told me at any time over the last two years what really happened that night. I told you nothing happened with Jesse, didn't I? I told you the summer we started dating."

"Yeah." Finn agreed, reaching for his newly delivered cup of coffee with several sugars in hand, ready to dump in. "And that made me feel like an even bigger asshole than what I had already felt like for being with Santana in the first place."

Rachel's eyebrow went up in askance. "It was supposed to make you feel better that I hadn't followed through with it. I was waiting for _you_."

Finn stirred his coffee slowly, his mind for once in his life providing multiple answers waiting in response to Rachel's admission:

_1. Thanks, but you really shouldn't have. _Yeah, no way in hell he was going to use that one. He was supremely grateful she had never done _that_ with St. Jackass.

_2. What the fuck for? We weren't together!_ He was pretty sure that would cause a Rachel-Berry-storm-out of completely epic proportions, _after_ being slapped once or twice across the face.

_3. I was still trying to find my inner rock-star_. Nah, he had already admitted to her that that was one of the lamest things he'd ever said or done in his life, the one time when Mr. Schue's guidance and suggestions were completely off base.

_4. If you were waiting for me, why have we still been waiting for the last two years? _Actually, that really _was _a good question, but he was certain that would be a different conversation for a different day and wasn't the issue Rachel wanted to discuss right now.

"_Honesty is always the best policy, Finn_." His mother's words from the previous evening came back to him now. Deciding to simply go forward with his most honest thoughts, he swallowed another sip of coffee and looked into her eyes.

"I know you waited, Rachel. And I don't blame you if you're still waiting because I'm often a big, bumbling idiot who has a real knack for hurting you so often. Honestly, I was almost sick to my stomach after it was all over with Santana. It wasn't, like, wonderful or epic or a real turn on like they describe in those romance novels or movies or like they show on t.v. It was crap. Garbage. A real, huge, complete letdown." He was tempted to pump his fist in victory as he realized she was still paying complete attention to what he was saying, but his mind urged him to continue. He knew his girlfriend wouldn't (couldn't) stay silent for very long. "I was so stupid for letting you go when we were first together, especially when you dove straight into the arms of someone else. I wasn't mad at you, or at Jesse...actually, scratch that, I _was _mad at Jesse, but above all that, I was mad at myself because I had put myself there. I had let this totally awesome girl come into my life, trying to make me happy anyway she could and then blew her off like she was just a bug or something. And when I finally pulled my head out of my own ass, it was too late because some guy who was better looking, more talented and knew way more about all the things you loved in life had already swept you off your feet. I really didn't think, at that point, that I had anything to lose because I had, like, already _lost_ through my own stupidity. I kinda hoped that being with Santana would make me forget about that and help me remember I was still a guy the girls wanted to be with. But after it was all over, all I could do was feel that I had screwed up _again_ because it didn't feel special. And above all that, she didn't even care. The first thing she said to me afterwards was "I'm hungry." He sighed and looked out the window, watching a car or two pass by on the street. "I felt cheated of everything at that point, Rachel. Quinn cheated on me, Puck betrayed me, the baby I thought was mine wasn't, you had found someone better than me, and even my 'first time' had gone totally wrong. How was I supposed to admit to all that in the choir room when you first asked? I just...couldn't."

Rachel closed her eyes for a moment, fighting back a sympathetic tear after hearing Finn pour out his heart, almost having to remember that she was still angry. The anguish in his voice, and his unusual but strangely _Finn_ wayof expressing everything that had happened two years ago was striking a real chord with her. She gulped down a couple sips of her water to soothe her suddenly sore throat, then leaned back and crossed her arms. "Okay." She said, which caused his face to twist in suprise, but she held up her hand before he said anything further. "I mean, okay, I understand why you...you...engaged in 'relations' with Santana. But two years, Finn? Two years before I discovered the truth? Did you not trust me enough to reveal yourself? Did you not think that I'd rather hear it from you then read about it on Jacob's blog and have it confirmed by...by _her_?"

Finn pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to fight back his own tears which threatened to come through. He was a guy, after all, and he _hated_ crying, let alone crying in public, but the absolute pain that Rachel was expressing in her voice was hitting his heart hard. Again, he'd hurt her. He tried so hard to not do so, but sometimes it seemed his efforts were useless. Taking another breath to steady himself, he started talking again without looking in her eyes. "As clinched as it may sound, I was waiting for the right time."

Rachel smiled slightly in spite of herself. "I think you mean cliché."

"Right." Finn nodded quickly in thanks for her correction. "I knew after Santana that I wanted the next time to mean something. Not that I was planning on waiting until marriage, but I knew I wanted it to be with a girl I loved, and who loved me back. I already knew I wanted the next time to be with you, Rachel, and after everything that happened before, I figured I owed it to you to wait however long you wanted. But since you didn't seem to want to go that far, and still don't, really, I just kind of figured I'd worry about it when you said you were ready, you know." He stared straight into his cup of coffee, taking a deep breath to control the seemingly endless turmoil inside of himself. "I was planning on telling you; I swear I really was, but we always seemed to be doing something else. First it was just us trying to date normally for a change, then winning at Sectionals last year, then placing at Regionals, then exams which I really, _really _tried to do well on for the first time in like…_ever. _Then you were gone for the summer and Puck and I had to work, then it was right back into school and glee, and then things with football got crazy going all the way to State finals, and now we're applying to college, and on top of all that we're still dating and I love it but, where was the chance to just sit down and talk about stuff like this? We just seemed to never talk about us. And I was such a dolt with you for so long before we finally figured each other out, what right did I have to say, 'Hey, I want us to be 'active'," he used air quotes over the word, "because I truly love you and I want this closeness to be something we share together, for real this time." He huffed in disgust at how poorly his words sounded and took another sip of coffee, trying to will the bitter liquid into giving him a better command of language. "Sorry, I know my words and explanations suc-…I mean, are totally bad and horrible."

Rachel's eyes were wide and a tear leaked down her face, the pounding in her chest hard and the rushing sound in her ears almost deafening. Everything Finn had just said, again, in its own unique way, was almost perfect in its sincerity and thoughtfulness. Quickly she grabbed the paper napkin off the table and wiped away a second tear that threatened to fall, breathing deeply as she did. She shook her head when she was sure no more tears were coming. "No, your words weren't bad or horrible, Finn." After taking another few gulps of water, she took another deep breath and turned back to him. His eyes looked so sad that, once again, she had to remind herself of her own anger and hurt before she started to answer him. "I know we've both been busy, Finn, and really, I'm sorry I never even thought to talk about us, the relationship and where we're going, but truthfully, I always assumed guys never _wanted_ to talk about those things_. _Having admitted that, this isn't something that takes a huge amount of time to discuss, so forgive me if I don't completely buy into your argument. We've only been sitting here for 15 minutes, our breakfast hasn't arrived yet, and you have told me more about this situation in that time than you've told me in two years. I just don't understand how something of such monumental significance in our relationship can just be brushed aside by you with such a careless disregard for my emotional well-being. Do you know how much it hurt me to find out from a _website_? Do you have any idea how confused I was when Santana approached me and said she totally respects that you're with me now and she'd never think of encroaching on my boyfriend and having _no clue_ what she's talking about? The pain was physical, Finn. Not just dull and inside my heart, it made me nauseous almost to the point of retching. I couldn't even eat dinner last night, and you know how I like to keep my meals regular to encourage proper digestion."

Almost on cue, the two breakfast meals arrived and were placed in front of them. Rachel forced a smile and muttered a quick thanks to the waitress and slowly started picking at her food while Finn just sat there, trying to process all the things his girlfriend and said. It surprised him a little to find that he agreed with almost everything, and the guilt weighing down on him now was far worse than he had initially imagined...like the world had settled on his shoulders and refused to be lifted, just like that Greek guy he learned about when they studied myths in English class. The one books about maps were named after.

Anyway, he felt like that guy, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Only it was worse because it wasn't the world on his shoulders that he was carrying, it was _Rachel's_ world, and he had promised two years ago he wouldn't drop it. Ever! Now he discovered that not only had he dropped it, he had punted it across the field like a football.

Finding he didn't really have any arguments left, he shrugged slightly and allowed his shoulders to fall in defeat. "You're right." He admitted.

Rachel looked up from her plate, eyeing him curiously. "What?"

"You're right." Finn said, grabbing his fork and starting on his breakfast, for once taking a slow bite of the food and not really enjoying it as much as he thought he would. He rushed the next words out quickly before he could feel their impact on himself. "I was a coward. I was scared you would just explode about everything and slap me or push me away and tell me again how you and your dreams were just too big to include me anymore. I didn't want to lose you, Rachel, and I somehow guessed that this was one issue you wouldn't forgive me for. But this was totally my fault, so if you need to break up with me, then I understand and I'll take the blame for it, and you can let everyone at school know that it was all my doing. This is a lot bigger than Sunshine or not being quarterback or any stuff like that. This is a lie I've been meaning to tell you for two years and never did. I...I can understand how that isn't forgivable."

Rachel quietly put her fork down on her plate and gave him a penetrating look. If possible, it was more dangerous than the glare that she gave him on the Thursday night when she discovered the truth...that one had scared him, but this one truly _terrified _him. The anger in that gaze was so intense that Finn was sure he was about to burst into flames at any moment. What he did not expect, however, were the words she spoke next with a quiet voice colder than steel. "Finn, I told you last year that I would _never_ break up with you. Yes, I'm hurt, and yes, I feel like you've crushed me and yes, the pain was and is physical. But you had better listen and listen more so than you've _ever_ listened to me. I. Love. You. More than I ever thought I could love someone who wasn't family. More than I love Broadway, or acting, or Glee, or even singing. I love you so much I would literally walk through fire and ice for you. I would cross the desert, swim the ocean or climb a mountain if that's what it took to be with you. Words _can not_ do justice to the feelings you bring out in me, or the lengths I would go to make sure you know you hold my heart in your hand, forever if you want it. So trust me, Mr. Hudson, you had _better_ get used to me, my dreams, my quirks, my craziness, my vocabulary, and everything else that comes with me because when I say I'm never breaking up with you, _I mean it._ I'm. Not. Going. Anywhere. And if I have to prove the _fucking point_, I _will _crawl under your bed and stay there!" With that, Rachel picked up her fork and continued eating her breakfast.

Finn's jaw dropped so far from his face he was shocked he couldn't feel the table on his chin. Never in his life had he heard her drop the f-bomb, even in their most heated arguments. He still didn't know if he should be scared or relieved from her speech. After several seconds (which seemed like an eternity to him), he simply reached across the table and grabbed her hand, kissing it and then holding it in both his hands tightly as a lone tear fell from his eye. "Thanks, Rach." He said somewhat hoarsely. "And ditto, by the way. All of that stuff, goes for me, too. All of it. I'll...I'll always be here for you. And I'll always love you."

He saw her pause in eating, instead biting her lip and then wipe another tear from her eye with her free hand. Then she nodded, squeezed his hands, and he let her go and turned back to his breakfast. The both sat in silence for a minute, eating some of their food before he cleared his throat and looked back up at her. "So, we're good, then, right?"

Rachel's eyes tightened a bit as she swallowed one of her potato chunks. "Hardly."

"But, you said-"

"I said I wasn't breaking up with you. I didn't say I had completely forgiven you."

The familiar weight of guilt was creeping back into Finn's shoulders, but instead of feeling bogged down by it, Finn decided to man up and embrace the challenge. Knowing now that he still had Rachel as his girlfriend, he squared his shoulders, dug into his breakfast for another solid bite of food (which actually tasted good now that the main topic of their discussion was, he assumed, over) and looked up with determination in his eyes. "Anything you want, just name it. What do I need to do to be forgiven?"

Rachel didn't meet his eyes at first, but a slow, wicked grin started creeping across her face. It was the grin that Finn knew only too well and immediately made him regret his sudden declaration. His blood began to run cold in his veins. "Finnegan." She said almost too sweetly, patting his hand as her almost evil smile widened across her whole face, causing his stomach to drop down past his feet in less than one second. "You have _no _idea."

* * *

**Again, any reviews, good or bad, would be appreciated. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, after last night's episode, my story can now officially be categorized as A/U. Unfortunate that they handled this situation the way they did…I don't understand why Mr. Murphy and/or FOX TV is giving Finn and Rachel the emotional growth of a kumquat this season given their history (Puck has learned more from his past mistakes, and he's the one character I would _expect_ to grow the least). Such is television, I suppose, but seriously, I've read better writing here on these boards than I've witnessed "professionals" accomplish on tv (and that's just the stories I've actually had the time to read). Then again, I'm not paid millions of dollars to write anything for production, so what do I know. **

**So here is the next chapter, and also you'll see why I titled my story the way I did. Thanks to all who've read so far. Please don't be afraid to comment or review, I like all constructive feedback. **

* * *

Step 1 in what Finn started referring to as _Rachel Berry's 7 Steps to Forgiveness Program _was shopping.

_A LOT _of shopping. An _ENTIRE DAY _of shopping. Finn didn't know how someone could spend so much time at a mall without going to a movie or waiting at midnight for the next Halo game or something.

Still, it was a small price to pay considering how much he owed to Rachel, even if she spent an _hour_ in only _one _shoe store, trying on what seemed to be _three sizes_ of _every_ pair of shoes that she liked. Mostly, he was relegated to simply carrying the vastly increasing number of items she was purchasing in the mall. He felt like...wait, what was that term he had heard Burt use before when his Mom went shopping? He was brought along as the...pack-mule! Yeah, that was it!

Rachel did seem to take immense delight in torturing him by trying on an array of short skirts and low cut blouses in her favourite clothing store, coming out of the dressing room and giving him a complete view of each one, then deciding (after his more than favourable comments on one delicious black shirt with a plunging neckline and a tie on the side) that none of them really were that comfortable and buying only one shirt that didn't even show any cleavage (okay, this is where he knew he was being given payback in a _BIG _way. He almost gagged in surprise that the black shirt cost more than two pairs of jeans for himself combined, but made a mental note to save enough money to afford it for her birthday).

The next store she dragged him into was the cosmetics and skin care store. At least, he assumed it was cosmetics and skin care for all the bottles of lotion he saw at a glance lined up along one of the walls and the large vanity counter on the opposite side plush with various amounts of makeup and lipstick. She took what seemed to him an _awfully_ long time to pick out a colour of lipstick that she liked. Didn't she tell him just last week that there were only one or two shades she thought she could wear? How was it possible to take _so long _to choose between two shades? He finally agreed with her that the slightly darker colour looked best (he didn't miss the spark in her eye in regards it) and thought he might be saved from staying in there any longer, but instead she walked over to the lotions lined along the wall and started smelling the various fragrances. Every now and then she would wrinkle her nose and put something back, but usually she would turn towards him and ask "How about this one?"

For the life of him Finn could not understand why it mattered if the hand lotion smelled like lavender, vanilla, oranges or lilacs...if it worked, you should use it, right? But since her shampoo always reminded him of strawberries, he decided to take the initiative (another Rachel word he learned along the way) and studied the bottles until he found a berry scented one. _Of course_, he thought, _Rachel Berry should have a berry smell. It's like math...Berry = berry! And easy to remember, too. _He grabbed a bottle and brought it to her. "You should try this one." He declared.

She took one look and waved her hand dismissively. "No thanks."

"How come?" Finn asked, unscrewing the cap and breathing in the scent. "It's the same smell as your shampoo. Isn't that a good thing?"

Rachel rolled her eyes in irritation (or was it annoyance? He always got those two words mixed up). "I'm looking for something different. I use that scent all the time."

Finn shrugged. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Right?"

Rachel turned towards him and looked up into his eyes with the same patient look she used when helping him with is homework. "Surely you can see the importance of having more than one type of scent to choose from when trying to groom yourself for your day, can't you?"

"Uh..." Finn considered his answer quickly, picking one he had heard Burt use on his Mom a few times. "Well, if it's important for you, then that's what really matters." She smiled brightly at his answer and continued down the wall's display, happily taking another bottle and sniffing the contents. In truth, though, he really _couldn't_ understand why it was important to have so many choices. He didn't have choices; every day it was the same soap and shampoo; had been for years. Was that wrong? Did Rachel think he should change things up? _Do women make these things complicated on purpose? _Finn asked himself silently. He didn't receive any suitable response from his mind, so he figured he'd just put that question on the back burner for now and could maybe talk to Burt about it later.

He perked up in interest when she dragged him into the video store, but when she went straight to the musicals section, an iron grip on his hand indicating that in _no way_ would she permit him to leave her side, he dismissed the hope that he could wander over to the action film or video games area to find something for himself. He thought at least he could find a copy of the newly released _Rock of Ages_ (that had all his favourite classic rock hits, so it was a _bad-ass_ musical) but she turned suddenly towards the black and white section of the musicals, and he knew that none of the titles there would interest him (he didn't feel the need to know about every musical made before even his grandparents were born!). Once Rachel had pulled out a copy of some movie called _The Great Zieg-_somethinghe knew with certainty that she had found herself a new DVD, if for no other reason than the name "Fanny Brice" was listed on the jacket; it was simply a matter of counting down the seconds on his fingers before she realized it as well. He was shocked he reached number six before his arm was almost yanked out of its socket as Rachel said "This one!" in a sing-songy voice and proceeded to the cash register with him in tow.

Upon arriving at the register, Rachel opened her wallet and frowned. "Hmph, I don't have any more cash. Finn?"

Finn groaned slightly. Those black and white DVDs were always _way _more expensive than newer films. Why was that, anyway? Weren't older things supposed to cost less, like cars, or drums, or Xbox games? Still, he reached into his wallet, gave the cashier two twenties and then handed her the DVD. At least she flashed him that dazzling smile and gave him a big hug, saying "Thank you _so _much." It made him feel a little better about parting with that much cash over a movie he knew he'd never enjoy.

After an exhausting day of trying to keep up with her in the mall (he didn't think she could actually outpace him when it came to shopping considering he was a foot taller than her...he was _so _sending Kurt with her next time), he thought he would be free to kick back a bit and relax with her. He followed her into her house, carrying all of her purchases and placing them on the coffee table in the living room, collapsing into her couch about a half second afterwards. She hung up her coat, then quickly followed him on the couch and, after rustling around in her bags for her new DVD, curled up and snuggled against his side as she started reading the back of the DVD. Since there was _no way in hell_ he was even going to suggest a make-out session with her after their conversation that morning (though he would be completely open to the idea if she started it) he shrugged, grabbed the remote and turned the television onto ESPN to watch the Columbus Blue Jackets game.

"We are _not _watching hockey!" Rachel said in a voice that brooked no argument without even lifting her eyes from the DVD case.

"Of course not." Finn agreed automatically, changing it instead to the Sci-Fi channel. He almost raised his arms in victory to see it was showing _The Matrix_ and placed the remote on the top of the couch cushions beside him, only to have Rachel grab it away from him once he let go (she still wasn't even looking away from the DVD jacket. Maybe she really _was_ psychic).

"You've seen this before." Rachel announced as she pressed a couple of buttons and turned the television screen blank, awaiting a DVD signal. Finn was about to protest but she held the new video up a little too close to his face and asked "Have you seen this one?"

(Finn didn't know at the time that he was being introduced to Step 2 in her 7 Step program.)

"Uh...no?"

"Precisely." Rachel answered with finality. "It was an important film in the career of Fanny Brice. It won three Academy Awards and has a vast array of stellar musical numbers that we could draw from for Glee assignments. A much more suitable choice for our evening's entertainment."

"Rach, it's in black and white! And no offense, but the acting wasn't the best back in those days. Do we really have to watch this now?"

His girlfriend's eyes narrowed into slits, causing Finn to immediately think of a very large cat about ready to pounce on its prey (and not in a good way). Her voice came out clipped. "We could always watch _Funny Girl, _I suppose."

_Ugh! _He thought. _Not much in the way of choices. _Sighing in resignation, Finn glanced at the clock on the wall. 5:30pm. "Sure, put the new movie in. It's only a couple of hours, after all."

Rachel smiled with delight as she shook her head. "No, this is the full theatrical release. Three hours of film, replete with another additional hour of commentary from the film historians and critics. Factor in our dinner, and we'll be set for the whole night until you need to leave. Isn't it great how we have just enough time for this?"

"Yeah. Great." Finn replied dryly, his hopes of having more than just cuddle time with his girlfriend quickly evaporating. At least he got dinner out of this whole deal. "What were you thinking of eating?"

Rachel smiled as she kneeled in front of the massive home theatre system her fathers had purchased for their family room, setting up the DVD in the machine. "There's all the makings for a great dinner sized taco salad for both of us in the fridge. Would you mind pulling out the vegetables? They're in the fridge in the crisper."

(This was, he decided later, Step 3 in her 7 Step program. Really, he didn't think he should have been forced to endure three steps together in just one day.)

Finn swallowed down his annoyance (or was it irritation?) as he proceeded to the fridge. _A salad? Seriously? _He knew from prior experience that trying to fill his stomach with a salad was like trying to fill a swimming pool with a shot glass. _Guess I'm stopping at McDonald's on the way home. _He thought sourly.

Finn started pulling out the various items required for making the salad, but failed to notice any kind of meat in the fridge. He was pretty sure the whole point in taco salad was for it to taste like a taco, which meant there had to be meat, right? And cheese? "Where's the beef?" He asked aloud as he continued pulling items together.

She entered the kitchen at that point, smiling and shaking her head at him. "No beef, silly. You know that I don't eat animal products. "

_Unless in involves bowling alley pizza._ Finn silently added in his mind. He wasn't stupid enough to give voice to his internal though in front of her, though.

Rachel continued. "I do, however, have a nice package of tofu here that we can cook up and add to the salad." She grabbed a pan and placed it on the stove while handing him a large chopping knife. "Care to work on the vegetables?"

Tofu? Wasn't it bad enough all he was eating for dinner was salad, but now he had to choke back tofu, too? Finn figured it wouldn't be safe to say he'd rather use the knife on himself at that particular point. Deciding he was too exhausted from his day at the mall to endure another lecture from Rachel about nutrition and animal rights (why she couldn't keep the two topics separate was beyond him), he instead smiled tightly, took the proffered knife and cutting board and set them on the counter in front of himself. "Tofu taco salad." He deadpanned with a slight sigh. "Sounds great."

For once, it seemed, Rachel didn't pick up on his sarcastic tone.

Once they had the Step 3 of her program completed and eaten (Finn positive that he set a record for devouring a head of lettuce sprinkled with corn chips, and _no way _did the tofu make it taste anything like a real taco), they returned back to Step 2 of her program and began watching her new DVD.

Finn tried to get into it. Really, he did. There were parts that were okay, but the movie just dragged on and on and on for him. This show had really won Academy Awards? Finn figured they must have liked their movies boring back in the thirties; boring with a spoonful of cheesy on the side (man, he wished there had been cheese on that salad. He might have enjoyed it more). With his head leaning against the pillow of the couch, he could feel his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. He was sure he was just about to drift off when suddenly a squeal from Rachel and the clawing of two hands on his arm jolted him back into full consciousness. "Wha-..what?" He asked, trying to shake the cobwebs from his mind.

Rachel pointed delightedly at the screen. "There she is! That's Fanny Brice!"

"Oh, okay." Finn replied nonchalantly, trying to settle down his now rapidly beating heart. Honestly, could this girl get any _more _crazy about musicals? He leaned his head back against the couch and took a deep breath.

"Finn!" Rachel said sharply, pulling him out of his slight daze. "You're _not_ falling asleep, are you?" She grabbed the remote and paused the movie before crossing her arms.

_Shit! I'm busted. _"Uh...no?"

"Are you bored of the movie?" Rachel asked in a dangerous tone that left Finn certain his answer had better not be yes.

Instinct seemed to have kicked in as his mouth started replying before he was able to even think of what he was saying. "No, not so much bored of the movie as just worn out from getting up so early to talk, and then all the walking at the mall and such. That's all." _Finn, that was pure genius! _He congratulated himself. _And you _are _tired. It's not even a lie. _

Rachel's eyes softened and she nodded. "I guess I can understand that. I know you normally sleep in on Saturdays, but that only proves my point that you should try to regulate your sleeping patterns by getting up at the same time every morning, followed by a rigorous workout and a healthy breakfast. Because if you-"

Finn had heard this speech before, so instead of enduring it again, he leaned in and kissed her softly but soundly, full on the lips. He let the kiss linger a few seconds to ensure he had her attention, the gently pulled away, smiling when he noticed her eyes were still closed from the feeling in it. Before she could say anything else, he quickly added "I'll think about it. Okay?"

Rachel sighed contentedly before nodding and then curled back into his side, pressing play on the remote to resume the movie. Finn redoubled his efforts to stay awake and focus on the show. The way she was onto him tonight, she was likely going to give him a pop quiz on it once finished.

* * *

**Again, any comments, reviews, criticisms, theories or hypothesis would be greatly appreciated. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow, so much angst in FF stories since the last episode aired. To me, it wasn't so much that "Finchel" broke up, just that the characters are not being written well (sorry Mr. Murphy, it's true). Really, those characters as they were written in Season 1 would never have done the things they have so far in Season 2. I'm not sure if FOX TV and/or Mr. Murphy are doing things to simply please the fans, but if they are, it's a poor decision. I've seen so many shows try to cater to the fans and all of them have fallen completely flat because of it (I'm looking directly at you, West Wing; seasons 3 to 7 were garbage). I know Glee has always been is a bit of stretch on reality as far as what happens in high school goes, but now they're just pulling it into the realm of being completely ridiculous. Feel free to message me or comment in reviews. I like hearing different opinions.**

**So anyway, since all the angst of these characters has been covered by every other FF author out there, I'm keeping with my story as is, so to anyone who isn't completely sure what's happening (those just tuning in) this story is A/U after "Furt", and all characters are in their Senior Year. Hope you enjoy, and sorry for the delay in publishing. That's what happens when you're suddenly told by your superior "You're going on training for two days!". Next chapter after this shouldn't take so long. **

* * *

"_ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALLLLL!"*_

Finn awoke panicked out his wits.

Two feet in the air off his bed.

"What the fu-!" He yelled out in a stunned and terrified voice. He looked around for the cause of the sudden screaming in his ear (he wondered if this was what an actual heart attack felt like), when his eyes fell to the cell phone lying on his bedside table. Frantically, he grabbed for it in his shocked-awake slumber, he looked at the display screen to see who it was.

The caller I.D. was listing…._Rachel?_

This was _not_ the ringtone he had chosen for her calls. And why was she calling at 8:00 AM on a Sunday?

He slammed his thumb on the 'accept' button and pulled the phone to his ear. "Hello?" He gasped, still trying to catch his breath.

"Good morning, Finn!" The far-too-bubbly-for-Sunday-morning voice of Rachel answered on the other end. "I was wondering if you'd like to go jogging with me this morning. I find it better if I vary my morning workout routine now and then so I don't get too complacent with my elliptical-"

"Did you change my ringtone?" Finn interrupted her, his heart still racing from the rude awakening.

"Finn, you're out of breath." Rachel's voice on the other end seemed amused. "Did I catch you in the middle of something? Do you need a few minutes to, um…_finish_?"

Finn gulped in another lungful of air. "W-What? No! You - you called me while I was sleeping, Rach! The new ringtone scared me half to death. Why did you change it?" Finn checked the volume control, "and why did you turn the volume on my phone all the way up?"

"Well, I know how difficult it is for you to awaken in the morning, so I figured with the combination of a louder song and increased phone volume it should have no problems rousing you into consciousness, even from your deepest slumber. Besides, you like football. I know it's a country song, but since it's about football I concluded it would meet your approval. So I'll be there in about five minutes, and then we can go for a jog, okay?" Before Finn could even finish processing everything she had just said, the line went dead on the other end. He looked at his phone as if willing her to appear through it so he could tell her in no uncertain terms that jogging early on a Sunday morning was NOT acceptable.

Just as he was about to dial her number, though, his door flew open and in walked Kurt in a set of impeccably ironed pajamas and an angry look on his face. "Finn, are you insane? Do you really have to turn your alarm on maximum to awaken yourself properly? I could hear that thing in the basement through the vents! You're lucky Dad is away for the night with Carole, or I'm sure he would have strangled you with his bare hands, _AFTER _recovering from a second heart-attack!"

"It's not my fault!" Finn protested, both hands going up defensively. "Rachel changed my phone around without telling me. She called to get me to go jogging with her this morning."

Kurt raised an eyebrow at his step-brother. "And what exactly did you do to Lima's resident diva-in-training to warrant such a punishment? Because you say this isn't your fault, Finn, but I know she loves you and she wouldn't purposely traumatize you in such a manner unless you deserved it."

"I didn't do anything!" Finn sputtered out. "This is because she discovered what happened with me and Santana on Jacob's blog."

Kurt's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. "You mean you hadn't told her the truth yet? That was over two years ago, Finn! What the hell were you waiting for, an invitation?" The small teen dropped his face in his hand. "Of course you didn't do anything, and that's WHY she's upset at you."

"Yeah, I fucked up. I get that, Kurt. I've only had Mike, Sam, Puck, Mom and now you tell me the same thing, not to mention Rachel rubbing salt in the wound for an entire day."

A knock on the door followed by a loud doorbell ring signalled Rachel's arrival, and Kurt glanced out the window to see the small brunette running in one spot waiting for the door to be answered. "Judging by her perky early morning demeanour, I'd say she's finished with the salt and ready to move on to iodine."

Finn groaned and threw the covers off himself, not caring at that moment that Kurt was in his room and he only had on boxers. The two had long ago settled comfortably in as step-brothers rather than the weird one sided attraction that plagued them when they were first in Glee club together. He opened the drawer to his dresser to inspect his work-out shirts.

(Later Finn would call this Step 4 in the infamous 7 Step program).

"When I asked her what I had to do to earn her forgiveness, I didn't think she would stoop this low."

"Like Shakespeare once wrote, Finn, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'." Kurt reminded him, letting the curtain fall away from his hand.

"Actually, that's a misquote. And Shakespeare didn't write it." Kurt looked at him with a raised eyebrow in shock, which Finn noticed out of the corner of his eye. "What? I listen to the teacher in English class."

"Since when?"

"Since Miss Holliday was hired full time as the English teacher." Finn replied with a shrug as he rummaged around, searching for an appropriate shirt in his dresser drawer by pulling one out at a time and dropping each unsuitable one on the floor. Upon seeing Kurt's look of disapproval, he scowled. "I'll put them back later." He promised, pulling his chosen red shirt over his head.

"Better include a sweat shirt, too, Finn." Kurt told him as he walked past and towards the door. "It may be unseasonably warm out there, but it's still February weather. I'll go run interference until you can find some suitable pants."

Searching through his closet (or rather searching on the closet floor) Finn found a comfortable pair of sweat pants and a zipper sweat shirt and pulled them on just as he heard Kurt open the door. "Rachel, darling. Why don't you come in while you wait. I'd say Finn will be down once he finds appropriate attire, but a never-ending collection of stripes can only be considered appropriate for so long."

"Thanks Kurt." Rachel said cheerfully. "It's such a beautiful morning, I couldn't in good conscience just use my elliptical trainer rather than take advantage of this lovely weather. Would you like to join us?"

"Thank you, but I need to put my wardrobe together for the week." Kurt responded half-heartedly in a tone that reminded Finn of the 'I need to wash my hair' excuse he had gotten from Quinn a few times when they dated. "I'll grab some bottled water for you two, though."

Finn came downstairs at that point and grimaced when he noticed Rachel's bright, wide awake eyes and flushed cheeks from her jog. He loved seeing her like that, but usually would choose a much different activity to get her to that state. _And not this early in the morning, _he thought to himself sourly.

"Hey." She said as she finished her lunge stretches and tip-toed up to him for a quick kiss. "Hope you're ready to sweat. I've been jogging for 10 minutes already."

Finn's normally inactive Sunday morning brain suddenly provided what he thought was an excellent idea. He started stretching his legs as he mulled it over. _So she wants to sweat, does she? Time to put some of those exercises Coach Beiste had us work on to good use. _"Well, jogging is good, but I have another idea. We just have to head over to the school football field for it. We can do a full work-out there."

"Uh," Rachel's eyes went wide at his suggestion, and inwardly he smiled at her hesitation. "What kind of workout?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, Rach. Just some stuff that really helps improve strength and stamina. You said you wanted to work on that so you could commit to your dancing more fully while still singing, right?"

"Well…y-yes." She admitted slowly, seemingly not liking where this was going.

"Okay, then it's settled. You've been jogging for 10 minutes, you should have no trouble keeping up with me as I'm just starting out." Kurt returned with the water, handing a bottle to both Finn and Rachel. "Thanks Kurt. Ready, Babe?" Finn was suddenly out the door, water in hand, and turned to watch her slowly follow behind.

"Have fun, you two." Kurt idly said as Rachel walked out the door only to have it closed solidly behind her. She looked at the door, then back to her boyfriend, biting her lip nervously.

Finn grinned as he started running in place, warming up his muscles. As Rachel did the same, and then he motioned with his head. "Okay, let's go." He let his long legs carry him across the driveway and onto the sidewalk quickly. He turned as she ran to catch up, a full second behind him. He turned again and jogged in a quick pace to the corner of the road, again, turning around and waiting about two seconds for Rachel to catch up. Then he turned down the road and let the natural pace of his jogging take over for him. _Have fun keeping up, Babe! _

**XXXXX**

Rachel was no longer convinced this plan in getting Finn up early was as brilliant as she had initially believed. Really, she had just wanted to annoy him, knowing how much he enjoyed sleeping in on the weekends and denying him that opportunity twice in a row. Her plan _seemed _foolproof, especially when she managed to get him out of bed to work-out with her. She hadn't expected him to turn the tables; he wasn't supposed to catch on. _Damn! _she thought. _How did he figure this out so quickly? _Maybe she shouldn't be helping him with his homework as much; he was starting to use that extra brain-power in ways that were extremely inconvenient for her.

The last time they had jogged together, she was positive he needed more stamina as he didn't seem able to match her pace. She figured he wasn't used to the exertion over a long period of time. Now she knew he was simply going slowly so _she_ could stay with him. Because this morning, he let his natural running pace dictate the speed at which they jogged, and Rachel wasn't sure for how long she could maintain it. They were half-way to the school and already her sides were starting to hurt. Once they reached the school, she was completely out of breath and doubled over. She figured Finn would nod, ask her to let him sleep in from then on in, and she would then acquiesce the point to him that maybe he didn't really require the morning workout with her.

Then he moved on the hardstuff. _And not the good kind of hard._ She thought bitterly.

He started with the stands. He quickly jogged up to the top of the stands, then jogged in place as he waited for her. Once she had managed to get to the top, out of breath, he ran along the top and then back down, quickly moving over to the next set of stairs in the stands and ran back up. He waited, jogging on the spot again as she did the same (although much more slowly, damn her short legs). Again, she reached him and then he sprinted over to another set of stairs.

He continued that way. Sprinting up one set of stairs and then back down another, then jogging on the spot, waiting for her.

And continued to do so.

Through ALL of the stands.

Near the end, she briefly thought to try and end the workout regimen, but he smiled slightly as she caught up with him at the top of the last set of stairs and asked, "How are things? Need a break?"

His slightly cocky tone of voice echoed in her ears but only helped strengthen her resolve. _Is he serious? He thinks I'm going to let him best me? This morning workout was _my _idea. _She was Rachel Berry, and she didn't give up or take breaks that weren't required. Never mind she had two searing pains screaming in her sides. Never mind she was almost completely winded. Never mind her thighs were burning from the workout on the stairs. Instead, she smiled sweetly. "Nope. Just waiting for the next part."

He grinned. "Good." It was that lopsided half-grin that she always enjoyed seeing, but the glint in his eye that accompanied it only caused her worry. It reminded her distinctly of how he looked when he took the stage to sing the Bon Jovi / Usher mash-up in sophomore year. The glint in his eye that said, _"I've won. You've lost. You just don't know it yet." _

Rachel Berry did not lose. Ever.

(She hoped).

She followed along as he moved on to other exercies. The push ups weren't so hard for her (she used her knees to balance herself while Finn completed twice as many in the full-on 'manly' push up posture on his toes), but the tricep push ups were torturous for her using only the lowest bench on the stands, and then trying to do pull-ups using the horizontal beam of the football goal post were near impossible. In between each of these, he had her running at almost a sprint around the full track once (or twice), 'just to keep their cardio up' as he put it. Of course, it wasn't a full spint for him since his legs were almost twice as long as hers, but she was sure she could keep up.

(Maybe).

After all of that, she was introduced to "Burpies", which consisted of standing straight, then jumping up high in the air, landing, crouching on the feet, shooting your legs out backwards (while balancing on your hands in the 'manly' push-up position) pulling your legs in and then jumping up again and repeating the process.

She did about five of them before deciding she _really hated_ "Burpies."

Then Finn introduced her to "Up-Downs". She ran on the spot, and not just a gentle jog-like run, but a 'real sprint' style run, her legs working vigourously as she determinedly told herself she could keep up with her boyfriend. When Finn commanded, they would have to collapse on the field, falling straight on their arms and stomachs, roll once and then bounce back up as quickly as possible.

She did five of them before deciding she _really hated _"Up-Downs" even more than she hated "Burpies."

Finally, Finn called a rest, and Rachel tried but failed to remain upright. She collapsed in a heap on the ground, absolutely gasping for breath and completely annoyed that Finn was still upright, breathing heavily but still walking over to where they had put their water bottles. She moaned in pain as she turned on her side. "I should….be…able…to keep…keep up with…all that."

Finn smiled slightly as he unscrewed his water and pulled back a big sip. "Geez, Rach. You don't have to be the best at everything, you know. You're still in great shape, Babe, and if anyone would know your shape, it would be your boyfriend."

So out of breath and dizzy was Rachel from the workout that she couldn't even come up with a snappy comeback or one liner in regards to his slightly suggestive comment. She slowly pushed herself up on her hands and knees. "But…I dance…ballet…and I…run on…the elip…tical…everyday…my lungs…are…big…I shouldn't…be so out….out of breath. Why are…you okay?"

Finn shrugged slightly. "It's not that hard when you usually do this stuff with all your football gear on." He offered her the other water bottle. "So, ready to run back?"

Rachel groaned and collapsed back on the ground, the mere thought of running back causing a fresh wave of pain and nausea to roll through her. Figuring that having lungs to sing was more important than than being victorious in a self-imposed exercise competion, she let rare words of defeat escape her mouth. "You…win. No more…early… Sunday mornings."

Finn flashed his trademark half-grin at her. "Didn't think so."

* * *

**Lyrics are from "Are you Ready for Some Football", written and performed by Hank Williams Jr. (as far as I could tell on the net)**

**Any comments, reviews and / or criticisms would be greatly appreciated. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Didn't see the Xmas episode but my beautiful wife filled me in and said it was very good (and I read the recap on the net). Glad to hear they didn't have everything between Finn & Rachel solved too quickly, but hopefully they'll both develop as individuals before being brought back together (if they ever are, hard to know in television land). But hey, this story is A/U where Rachel was more concerned with Finn lying for two years than who he was with (which I still personally believe would be truer to her character). Hope this chapter is enjoyed by all. **

* * *

Finn was silently thankful when Rachel admitted she couldn't keep up. He had been starting to see spots in front of his eyes after that last set of 'Up-Downs' and actually surprised himself that he didn't collapse on the ground beside her (and he would _**never**_ admit that to her, even on pain of death). If he had really pushed, he might have been able to get one more lap around the track out of himself before completely dying in the middle of the school field, but was pretty sure if he died from working out too much that his Mom or Rachel (more likely both) would no doubt find a way to bring him back to life just to kick his ass into oblivion again for themselves.

They began walking back to his place when they decided instead to stop at the Starbucks not far from the school. He stood in line surveying his options for a drink while Rachel excused herself to use the bathroom. The smell of coffee wasn't so appealing to him (despite the early morning hour), but he knew he could get a hot chocolate or something similar, so he didn't mind. Her choice would always be the Strawberry Vivanno Smoothie with soy milk (despite her saying to him yesterday she wanted something other than 'strawberry'; that obviously didn't carry over to smoothies). He was just getting ready to order when he felt his phone buzzing and heard a "Touchdown!", indicating a new text message.

* Finn? * Rachel had texted.

He excused himself and stepped out of line, stomach rumbling in complaint at being so close to food and yet denied. His fingers flew over the keys on his phone. [ Wats up ]

* I need you to do me a BIG favor. *

Finn frowned. Rachel was in the bathroom, so he began to wonder what kind of favour could he possibly do for her when his mind suddenly started filling in the details for him.

Public bathroom?

Locked door?

He pumped his fist in both joy and victory. He could do **_so many _**types of favours for her in there. His smile grew wider than a football as the lewd and wicked possibilities flashed before his eyes. He was sure he'd have to endure more than a few not-so-little love-bites along the way (they would want to keep it quiet, after all) but it would be _**totally**_worth it in the end. His thumbs flew over the keys on their own accord.

[ We'd haf 2 B quiet but I LUV the idea ]

He waited a minute before his phone buzzed with another message.

* FINN! I would never do THAT in a bathroom! What kind of perverted fantasies have you been having lately? *

Okay, maybe he got a little ahead of himself on that one. But a guy could dream, couldn't he? He sighed as the images in his mind shattered into a million pieces.

[ Nevermind. Wat u need ]

* It's that time of the month. *

Finn shrugged slightly at the message. He knew in the back of his mind that she must go through her period just like all women in the world, but unlike Quinn or Santana, she'd never used it as a reason to act up or get super intense about everything (probably because 'intense' was her default setting). It did mean his previous fantasy had no way of being fulfilled at that moment, but he never really expected it to happen anyway. That's why they called them fantasies, right? He texted back to her. [ Ok so…]

* I have nothing with me. *

His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he read that line. Rachel was the most prepared person he knew, for pretty much any and all situations. And something like this really shouldn't be a surprise to her. She was eighteen! She had to have been going through this once a month for at least, what, a couple of years or so already? (He was a little fuzzy when all that stuff started happening for girls). He really couldn't wrap his head around how this would surprise Rachel of all people.

[ Whers yor purse ] he texted back to her.

* I'm three days early! Besides, did you happen to see my purse on me when I came by your house to WORK OUT? *

Finn got the impression that line of text carried a very sarcastic 'Rachel's upset' tone to it.

* I need you to go across the street to the grocery store and buy me some tampons. *

Whoa!

Wait!

_Did I read that right? _

He read the last text message again.

_WHOOOOAAAAAA! _

This was _**so not**_ happening. He was a dude. There were very few things in the world that dudes would not do for their significant other (he liked that expression of Burt's), but buying them 'feminine hygene' products was definitely at the absolute and complete top of that list.

He swallowed and texted in return. [ cant u use toilet paper ]

* My cycle is too heavy for makeshift panty-liners. You need to get me OB tampons for heavy flow. They're in a bluish box with a yellow stripe on the top. *

Finn's panic started to rise at the mere thought of having to go down the dreaded 'No-Man's-Land' aisle in the grocery store. He gulped another mouthful of air as he texted back to Rachel. [ Wat about paper towels ]

His phone was silent for a couple of minutes. Was she giving his suggestion a try? It would sure save him some serious embarassment. Suddenly, his phone vibrated and he turned it over to see the message.

* FINNEGAN! I AM IN DISTRESS AND NEED YOUR HELP, SO GROW A PAIR AND ASSIST YOUR BELOVED IN HER TIME OF NEED OR I SWEAR I WILL MAKE IT PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE TO OUR ENTIRE SCHOOL EVERY TECHNIQUE WE'VE EMPLOYED TO CURE YOU OF THE 'MAILMAN' PROBLEM! ARE WE CLEAR? *

Finn had never sprinted over to a grocery store faster in his life than he had after that text. He quickly got into the store's parking lot (after narrowly avoiding being hit by an oncoming car), dodged another grocery cart full of items in said parking lot, then stopped himself in front of the entrance, wondering how he could pull this off without drawing too much attention to himself. Guys couldn't just go pick up a box of tampons and not get those odd looks from the everyone. He needed to do this carefully. He needed a plan. His eyes scanned the parking lot quickly until they fell on a grocery cart.

_That's it! _He decided. _Grocery cart. Yeah…I can walk in, buy a bunch of groceries, and it'll just be one of the items on the list. YEAH! That'll totally cover things. _

He quickly grabbed the cart and ran inside, running through the aisles getting a bunch of his favourite food items. Oreos, Sour Patch Kids, bread, butter and sliced cheese (for future grilled cheese sandwiches), ketchup, grape juice, some frozen pizzas, Gatorade, until finally he came to the dreaded aisle listing "Feminine Hygene".

(Whether it was planned by Rachel or not, Finn would forever refer to this as Step 5 in her increasingly cruel 7 Step Program)

Taking a breath, he quickly looked both ways, noticing that, miraculously, no one was even watching him. Looking down the aisle a final time, he noticed that the one customer at the other end had walked out and turned the corner into the other aisle. _OB Tampons with a yellow stripe. _Finn reminded himself mentally. He squared his shoulders and then pushed his cart into 'No Man's Land'.

It was surprisingly easy to accomplish the given task. Whether it be luck or fate, Finn walked into the aisle, quickly saw a bunch of bluish boxes marked "OB" and saw the yellow stripe along the top. He grabbed the box, dropped it in the cart as casually as he could while quickly looking up and down the aisle. _No one saw. Great!_ He quickly pushed the cart out of the aisle and headed to the checkout counter. After counting his ten items, he concluded that it would be easier to proceed to the express counter.

As luck would have it, no other customers were there either. Finn smiled as he got there and began dropping items on the conveyor belt. He had done it, and no one was the wiser! He'd soon have all his groceries in his hands and be able to race back to Starbucks and help Rachel.

"And good morning to you too, White Boy!" Blared a chipper female voice suddenly in front of him.

Finn froze. He knew that voice. And even if he hadn't memorized the voice, he knew that there was only one person in the world who called him 'White Boy' as a nickname. Praying against hope that it wasn't who he thought it was, he looked over to the cashier and felt the blood draining from his face. "Hi, Mercedes." He croaked weakly.

"Damn boy, don't be so happy to see me." She smiled as she began moving the items on the converyor's electronic scanner. "You almost look like you've seen a ghost, and trust me, I know I'm about the _**last **_person to ever be mistaken for a ghost. So how's your weekend been?"

Finn swallowed again as Mercedes continued with her work of scanning the itmes and placing them in grocery bags, watching with horror as the last item made its way ever-so slowly towards the scanner. "O..kay, I guess. I…um- didn't know you worked here."

Mercedes smiled again and placed more items in the bags. "I just started last week. Help me raise money for our trip to Nationals this year. My Dad said he could afford it all, but my Mom insists I learn 'the value of a dollar'." Mercedes giggled as she used air quotes around it. "But I don't mind. Extra money means I can keep up with Kurt at the mall."

Finn nodded dumbly as he stood immobile, watching but unable to react any further as Mercedes grabbed the tampons and scanned them. For a brief moment he thought she might be on automatic mode and was just about to throw the bluish box in one of the bags, but suddenly an odd beeping sound came out of the cash register and the monitor flashed "Item Unrecognized".

Finn's face collapsed into the palm of his hand. _Why me? For the love of Grilled Cheesus, why me?_

"Hunh!" Mercedes hit a few buttons on her keypad and tried scanning the item again, yielding the exact same results. "Guess we'll have to do a price check on this."

"It's okay, really, Mercedes, I'll just go back and-"

"Don't be silly, Finn!" She said, smiling again as she grabbed the phone by her station and flipped a switch. "That's why we have a P.A. system." Suddenly a loud blaring noise echoed over all the speakers in the store. "CAN I GET A PRICE CHECK ON…" she looked down and only then realized exactly what she was holding, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Uh…ON OB TAMPONS. PRICE CHECK ON OB TAMPONS." Mercedes hung up the phone, then cast a questioning glance at Finn. "Something you're not telling me, White Boy?"

"They're for my Mom?" Finn almost asked, shrugging slightly.

"Really?" Mercedes' tone was unconvinced. "Then you must be driving to Columbus soon, because that's where Kurt told me your Mom and Step-Dad were heading last night. And I could be wrong, but I'm almost positive Columbus has stores that sell these."

"Uh…would you believe I'm doing a science experiment on absorbancy?"

"I'm having a hard time believing you even know the _**meaning**_ of the word absorbancy. Besides, you haven't had a science class since last year." Mercedes put her hand on her hip.

Suddenly Finn's phone started buzzing in his pocket and an unmistakable "Touchdown!" sounded. Mercedes gave Finn a quizzical look as he grabbed his phone.

* WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? AM I GOING TO BE HERE ALL DAY? * was Rachel's seemingly frantic text message.

Finn closed his eyes and he pinched the bridge of his nose, starting to cackle at the hopelessness of his situation, so leaned in and spoke in a low tone. "Alright, fine. They're for Rachel. She's stuck across the street in Starbucks. Her period suddenly showed up and she forgot her purse."

Mercedes looked at him like he was from another planet. "Boy, don't joke with me. She's more prepared than a Boy Scout troop going camping. No way would she forget items like that."

A stock boy came running back from behind the 'No Man's Land' aisle in the grocery store. "Mercedes, did you order the price check on tampons?"

"Yeah, Mike, do you have it for me?"

Aghast, Finn turned quickly around to see Mike Chang with the box in question. "Yeah, they're $7.99. Oh, hey Finn. How you doin'?"

"Swell." Finn replied sarcastically. "Thanks for checking."

Mike's eyes widened in confusion. "What? You mean the tampons are for you? What would you want with them?"

"They're NOT for me! Rachel needs these and the longer I take, the less she's going to be happy with me, so can I please just pay for them and be on my way?"

Mercedes looked at Finn again with wide eyes and an open mouth. "Oh. My. God. You're not kidding, are you?"

Mike snickered. "Rachel's actually got you buying tampons for her? Man, she's whipped you better than a souffle."

Turning on her co-worker, Mercedes gave the Asian boy her best glare, one eybrow raised. "Are you suggesting that a real man doesn't look after the needs of his woman?"

"Uh…" Mike swallowed quickly and grabbed his electronic pricing gun. "I think I'll go back to work now." With that, he turned and fled the scene as fast as he could, giving a quick wave over his shoulder to Finn.

"Thanks Mercedes." Finn said, sighing. "And I'd appreciate you keeping this on the down-low because the last thing I need is Rachel upset at me even more."

Another "Touchdown!" blared from his phone, causing Finn to make a strangled noise in exasperation as he read the message. * FINN! ANSWER ME! *

"Is that Rachel texting you?" Mercedes asked.

Finn nodded and Mercedes grabbed the phone from his hand quickly, her fingers moving between the keys faster than even Rachel's could, which really surprised Finn.

[ Girl, its Mercedes. Ran nto Finn the store as I do $ here. Had 2 price yor item. He is on his way. U ok? ]

* My legs are asleep. Someone is knocking on the door. *

[ He just has 2 pay and he B over ]

Mercedes tossed the phone back at Finn, placed the tampons in the same bag as the grape juice and began ringing up the total. "So Rachel's stuck over there, unprepared and unequipped, and you decided _now _would be a good time to do grocery shopping?"

Finn rubbed the back of his neck in embarrasment. "I just figured if I bought other groceries with her, you know, _**item**_, then it wouldn't be as embarassing at the checkout counter."

Mercedes rolled her eyes while she gaffawed and spoke in a loud voice. "God! Why do men have to treat these sorts of things like it's the Grim Reaper come to claim their life or something? It's just a box of tampons!"

A few people's heads in the grocery store turned towards her and Finn to see what the commotion was about. Finn noticed this and hid his face with the palm of his hand. "Thanks, Mercedes. I need even _**more **_attention drawn to me right now."

Mercedes pointed an agnry finger at him. "Boy, if you're embarssed over a buying a box of tampons, you aren't half the man you think you are. $42.34".

Finn looked up in surprise. "Fourty two dollars? I only bought ten items!."

Mercedes turned from her monitor, one hand on her hip (again), and glared at him in a very intimidating manner, making him feel about two feet tall. "Finn, your girl is in trouble right now so if you have even a _**single**_ brain cell left in that head of yours you won't argue the amount, pay the money, grab your items and get over to her before the fire department is called in with the Jaws of Life. Get it?"

Without another word, Finn handed her all the money left over in his wallet and grabbed the shopping bags. He dashed out the door, jumped out of the way of an oncoming shopping cart, ran across the street (again, narrowly avoiding a car) and burst through the Starbucks doors as quickly as he could, causing the door to fly open wildly and everyone inside to suddenly look up at him. He paused, took a second to collect himself, then squared his shoulders and headed into the back area where the washroom was, grocery bags in tow.

Once he reached the door, he knocked gently. "Rach?"

The door opened a crack and her hand shot out without any words spoken, cupped and waiting for her item. Finn swallowed and grabbed the box she had requested, placed it in her hand, and then her hand shot back in and door was slammed shut again. Finn waited patiently outside the door with the grocery bags hanging off his fingers. After a few minutes, the door opened to show an embarssed Rachel, walking gingerly on legs Finn was sure were full of pins and needles by now, blushing furiously and a spark of anger in her eyes. "About time! What the-" she stopped and her eyes went wide in shock once she noticed the bags in his hands. "What is all that?" she asked.

Finn looked down, a blush starting to creep into his own face. "Well, I was kind of embarssed to be running over there for just…you know…the, uh…_**item**_…you needed, so I kinda thought if I mixed it in with some other groceries-"

Rachel held up a hand, palm out, to silence him as she took a breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she stared hard at Finn, making him wonder why, even at one foot and one inch taller than her, he suddenly felt like a silly school boy facing up to a teacher.

"Let me get this straight." She spoke venemously. "I was in the middle of a minor crisis of the feminine nature, in a _**public**_ bathroom, and when I ask my boyfriend to help by simply buying me what I needed, when I needed it, he was so ashamed to be the picking up _**one **_box of tampons that he tried to hide it by buying a bunch of other groceries, and thus keep me waiting in a compromising situation _**even longer**__?_" Her voice went up an octove or two as she spoke.

"Rach, come on. You're making me sound totally-"

"Ludicrous? Preposterous? Asinine? All of the above?"

Finn returned her icy gaze with a look of pure confusion. "Okay, sorry, I don't know what any of those words mean."

She shook her head, rolled her eyes, threw her arms in the air and brushed past him quickly. "Sorry my emergency wasn't worthy enough for you to forego you desire for pizza and Sour Patch Kids. Enjoy your groceries at your house. _**ALONE! **_And don't follow me._" _With that, she pushed open the door to the Starbucks and walked out, refusing to cast another look at him.

Finn groaned and collapsed on the overstuffed chair beside him, banging his head repeatedly against the backrest behind him. "Perfect. Just fucking perfect."

**XXXXX**

After downing the coffee Finn had brought from home (his Mom and Burt doing a double-take as Finn poured himself a large travel mug full of the bitter liquid before coming to school) Finn pushed the doors to the men's change room open. 7:00am was far too early for basketball practice, he thought to himself and he tried to wipe the fatigue from his eyes. As Captain though he wasn't able to object to it, instead having to maintain stony silence and set an example. Besides, with a game to play the following night, they could use another run through their drills and game strategy.

Already in the changeroom were most of the the other members of the team in various states of undress, all getting ready for practice themselves. Finn walked over to his locker, wiped his eyes again and started taking off his jacket.

"'Sup, Finnster." Puck greeted from a couple lockers down. "You get things with Berry sorted out?"

Finn made a face. "Sort of."

Puck gave him a confused look. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means I solved the big issue one day, while getting into another issue the next."

"Ah." Puck smiled slightly and then walked away. Finn glanced at his retreating friend curiously. Given the persistence Puck had shown in getting him to confess what was wrong on Friday, he was kind of surprised his mohawked friend didn't say anything else about the 'new' issue, but he shrugged it off. _Thanks be for small miracles._ Finn thought. As he reached into his locker to put away his jacket, he also suddenly realized the change room had gotten extremely quiet. Looking around in askance, he noticed most of the guys just standing there with huge, shit-eating grins on their faces. Somewhere else in the room he heard the distinct sound of someone pressing a stereo button.

_I BLEED IT OUT, DIGGING DEEPER JUST TO THROW IT AWAY,_

_I BLEED IT OUT, DIGGING DEEPER JUST TO THROW IT AWAY,_

_I BLEED IT OUT, DIGGING DEEPER JUST TO THROW IT AWAY,_

_JUST TO THROW IT AWAY, JUST TO THROW IT AWAY….*_

"What the-" Finn's eyes widened in anger as the room errupted into laughter, guys doubling over and collapsing to their knees on the floor. The captain's head swung to his left where Mike Chang's change area was, and sure enough, there was his teammate, gasping for breath and holding his sides, laughing while the stereo blared the song from his top shelf. It was obvious from the scene in front of him that Mike had had no problems in revealing Finn's little visit to 'No Man's Land' to the entire team.

"CHANG! YOU ARE A DEAD MAN WALKING!" Finn declared as he grabbed a basketball and ran after the Asian boy, who quickly yelped and hopped up, running away and ducking as the basketball was thrown in his direction.

* * *

***Lyrics are from "Bleed it Out" written and performed by Linkin Park.**

**Reviews are not just appreciated, they're encouraged. Thanks. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, so I'm not really sure where exactly this chapter came from, but inspiration struck me so I ran with this. Rachel thanked me for getting an entire chapter in her POV, but don't worry, Finn's adventures continue after this. I don't know about most people, but personally I can't stand characters in any movie or television show being one dimensional, and unfortunately that seems to be where Glee execs have taken Santana lately, but that isn't the road she suggested to me. Hope this is enjoyed by all. **

**Disclaimer - see Chapter 1 if necessary**

* * *

Rachel was feeling poorly. She hadn't meant to ignore Finn the rest of Sunday. She'd just been so completely flabbergasted at his lack of common sense regarding her problem in the bathroom that she had simply left in disgust. It was something she was acutely aware she needed to work on, her tendency to storm-out when her emotions were getting the best of her. Both her fathers had reminded her that in show business, directors and casting agents wouldn't stand for those kinds of tantrums; they just fire you and move on to their next casting choice (unless your name was Barbara Streisand, but despite her incredible talents Rachel knew she had a long way to go before getting to _**that**_ level). She was getting better, but being so sore and uncomfortable in such a compromising position for _**so long**_ had just irked her beyond belief, and Finn's awkward admission about his embarrassment in purchasing tampons had been the equivalent of him crushing her very last nerve with an anvil.

Knowing Finn had yet another basketball practice after school, she resolved to speak about it to him after practice as she went to her locker to drop off her books for the day. She had stayed behind to do some studying, knowing that the fewer people in the halls when she decided to go to her locker unaccompanied, the better. Now was the perfect time since, from what she could see, there were hardly any students left, so all she had to do was grab her jacket and then head over to the gym.

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

Rachel heard the unmistakable sound of slushies being thrown at some poor unfortunate soul. The echoes off the walls indicated it was within close proximity to her locker, perhaps just around the corner from where she stood. Hesitantly, she walked a little closer to the sounds and peered around the wall.

She could _**not**_ believe what she was seeing.

Three cheerleaders were facing Santana, whose usually crisp and clean Cheerio uniform was completely encased in grape flavoured slushie. Santana's demeanour was held proudly, head raised, eyes straight, and shoulders back, but Rachel could easily see the utter betrayal and humiliation in her eyes.

"Hope you enjoyed that, SATAN-A, because if you ever even _**look **_at our boyfriends again with so much as a smirk, not only will you be given another slushie shower, but we'll ensure your remaining days as a Cheerio are the most hellacious days you'll ever spend in this school, understand?" The red haired girl who seemed to be the leader of the trio looked to her left and right. "C'mon girls. I can't stand the sight of this _**slut**_ in front of me any longer!" The three turned on their heels and walked away quickly, leaving Santana standing alone, frozen in one spot.

After the other three had left, and without even thinking about it, Rachel threw her bag over her shoulder, stepped up to Santana and gripped her by the upper arm. "Let's go."

Santana turned her head towards Rachel, as if snapping out of a trance, suddenly realizing she were there. "Where, Dwarf? Somewhere you can finish the job for them?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Rachel retorted as she half guided, half pulled the Cheerio into the adjacent girls bathroom. "You've got three times the amount of grape slushie on you as I've ever had to wash off myself. You'll need help. "

Once in the washroom, Santana pulled her arm out of Rachel's grip, eyes flashing in anger. "I don't need _**your **_help at all. Every second you spend with me ruins my reputation."

Not knowing exactly what came over her, Rachel's anger leaped to the surface as she whirled on the abrasive Latino, fire in her eyes and steel in her voice. "In case you're completely oblivious to the significance of your predicament, let me spell this out clearly enough that even Brittany could understand it - YOU HAVE NO REPUTATION LEFT BEYOND THAT OF A MANIACAL NYMPHOMANIAC! Your so called 'friends' on the Cheerio squad were one step away from nailing you to a cross! Now you can either accept my help and get cleaned up well enough to make it home in one piece, or you can tell me to leave and try to face the masses on your own. YOUR CHOICE!"

Rachel and Santana stared each other down for a good ten seconds, tension building between them as both girls contemplated their next move. Rachel thought Santana was about to push her, punch her or wave her away dismissively, but instead the cheerleader's hands came up to her eyes and her shoulders started shaking violently as the sounds of sobbing came bubbling up from her throat. Rachel was both alarmed and relieved. Alarmed because she had only seen her Glee cohort cry once before, at the end of Regionals two years ago when they all thought the club was disbanding, and relieved because it finally showed that Santana was human after all, and her emotions were getting the better of her. Part of Rachel wanted to rub it in the cheerleader's face, make her realize that this is how Rachel had felt for most of her high school life; persecuted and alone. But the bigger part of Rachel, the side that always shone through her intense and often selfish personality, immediately went into protective mode and wrapped the cheerleader in as big a hug as she could muster.

Surprisingly, Santana didn't pull away, but instead clung to Rachel like a lifeline, sobbing against her shoulder heavily. Rachel didn't mind the slushie residue also getting on her own shirt (she'd had worse after all), all she cared about was comforting her fellow student who, probably for the first time in her life, was now the pariah of 'popular' crowd.

Santana stayed that way for a good five minutes before her sobs subsided into the occasional hiccup, and then finally took a step back. "Thanks, Rachel." Santana said, her voice soft and low. She didn't acknowledge the kind gesture of Rachel's in any further way but her eyes spoke volumes about how much it had meant to her.

Rachel nodded, her hand gripping Santana's tightly. "Let's get you cleaned up. I have some spare clothes in my school bag." She reached into her shoulder carry-all and pulled out a large Zip-Loc bag in which were spare clothes, a towel, a facecloth, a travel sized bottle of conditioning shampoo, a brush and a comb. "My Slushie Survival Kit. I really should start selling these to the freshman. I could probably make a mint. "

Santana laughed and turned to grab some paper towels after removing her Cheerio's uniform shirt and dumping it in one of the sinks. Rachel went to work soaking the shirt in cold water while Santana began wiping the majority of the slushie off her arms and neck. She sighed morosely. "I suppose I should have expected this once Jacob's blog came out. If I hadn't been with so many of the jocks..." Her eyes met Rachel's in the mirror, and she shrugged slightly about her past actions.

"Do you need any other help?"

"Just with the uniform." Santana replied, still wiping down her arms and neck.

Rachel let the sink fill up with cold water and then pulled out her spare clothes, waiting for Santana to wipe more of the syrup off herself and thanking her lucky stars that she had decided on plain clothes as her spare set; Santana may have the looks of a sex-goddess, but would never be 'cute' enough to pull off an animal print and knee high socks. A scoop neck black shirt which came well above the cleavage line and a normal pair of jeans, however, would be enough to get Santana home in a reasonable state of cleanliness, even if the jeans were perhaps a bit too big around the waist and a bit too short in the leg. Given the circumstances, Rachel was sure her fellow gleek wouldn't mind.

"Santana?" Rachel asked, while handing her the small bottle of shampoo she carried in her backpack.

"Mmmm?" Santana took the proffered bottle before sticking her head under the tap, trying to rinse out the corn syrup from her hair.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why so many guys?"

Santana snorted under the tap as she finished wetting her black hair. "Because I _like_ sex, Rachel. It's fun, exciting, and every experience with it is different and unique."

Rachel mulled that over for a moment. "Y-yes, I guess I can see some sort of logic there. But..." Rachel paused, biting her lip nervously and then closing her eyes and rushing forward before allowing her fears to stop her. "Why Finn?"

The cheerleader paused from working on her hair and looked at Rachel in the mirror with incredulity. "Seriously? You have to ask? You have _**seen**_ your boyfriend, right?"

Rachel suddenly felt hot under her shirt and her cheeks began burning. "Yes, in many ways which I would never be willing to discuss, actually, but...well, there were a lot of other names on that list of Jacob's and it just seemed to me that you're rather...uhm…_indiscriminate_... in your choices, so I figured there had to be more reasons for Finn than just his physique."

Santana eyed Rachel curiously from her position over the sink as she poured some shampoo into her hand. After a few seconds had passed, she took a breath. "Are you sure you really want to know? You probably won't like the answer."

Rachel swallowed down her nerves. "Did...did you have any feelings for him?"

Santana laughed genuinely at this comment. It was the closest thing Rachel had ever heard to a sincere belly laugh from the girl. She began lathering the shampoo into her hair. "Feelings aren't necessary to enjoy sex, Rachel."

"I know many people have that opinion, but I don't believe that. I don't think I could enjoy any sexually related activities without having the proper feelings for the person I'm with."

"And you had some for Puck two years ago when you guys dated for a whole week?"

_Ouch! _Rachel thought silently to herself even as she winced. Considering how on-again, off-again Puck and Santana were with each other, she wasn't completely surprised Santana might have been told by Puck about their two make-out sessions the week they tried dating. "Actually," Rachel decided to be honest. "That's kind of what convinced me that I didn't really like it. Don't get me wrong, Noah is very attractive in that leather-jacket-wearing, juvenile-delinquent kind of way, and even after I ended romantic relations I was still tempted by him. But deep down I just couldn't feel anything for him past friendship. And his rants about Super Mario Brothers can only be listened to for so long."

By this time, Santana had finished lathering in the shampoo and so she stuck her head under the tap to rinse out the remaining soap. After a few minutes, Santana held out her hand for the towel. Rachel handed it over and then stepped back to let her colleague stand up and quickly dry out the worst of the water from her hair. A genuine smile graced her lips. "Funny you should say that. Puck said almost exactly the same thing about you regarding Broadway shows."

Blushing a little more, Rachel shrugged sheepishly. "I do tend to carry on about that sort of thing." Rachel looked up at the cheerleader who continued to dry her hair. "So I take it you _didn't_ have feelings for Finn, then?"

Sighing, Santana wrapped the towel around her head and then grabbed the facecloth Rachel provided, wetted it down, applied soap and began washing the bare areas on her arms, neck and legs where the slushie had dripped down. "Finn was...convenient for me. Coach Sylvester wanted the Cheerios to all be dating younger men for some reason linked to Madonna that I still don't understand. Since I was the captain at the time, I had to lead by example. Finn was the quarterback _and_ captain of the basketball team _and _younger than me. Quinn had literally screwed him over to the point where he was afraid of relationships, and then you had fallen into Jesse's arms. It was pretty much open season on him for any girl to swoop in and grab him, and as the new Captain of the Cheerios, I was damned if I was going to let one of the juniors or seniors sink their claws into him. " Santana finished washing her arms and neck, then worked on her legs quickly, all the while still talking. "It couldn't have worked out better for me or my reputation at the time. I got to kill three birds with one stone. Finn was the perfect rebound."

Breathing a small, quiet sigh of relief, Rachel smiled inwardly. No, there hadn't been any feelings on Santana's side for Finn, either, which truly was one of her big concerns. She knew she would never look like the silken, smooth-skinned Latino, and was irrationally worried that Finn would realize he had it better with a cheerleader who would allow him to have sex than a small, somewhat geeky looking girl who wasn't completely comfortable in her body. But now, she was assured it really was just about the act rather than about them having some kind of emotional connection she couldn't fathom. Finn had used Santana to try and forget about breaking up with her, and Santana had used Finn simply to enhance her status and have a rebound fling.

_Wait a minute. Rebound? _

Rachel's head came up sharply and her eyes widened at Santana's last word. _REBOUND? _Girls didn't refer to a boy as a rebound unless they'd been serious about someone else before them. But if that was the case, then that meant...

_Of course! How could I have missed it before? It was _**right**_ there! _"You loved him." Rachel said. It wasn't a question.

Santana snorted as she wiped off the last of the slushie streaks on her legs and threw the facecloth in the sink. Turning to her own backpack, she pulled out a small makeup kit and began applying some foundation to her cheeks and forehead. "For someone who claims to never be heard, you certainly don't listen very well yourself, do you? I just told you, Finn was merely convenient."

Rachel took a brave step forward, looking at Santana in the eye through the mirror. "I wasn't talking about Finn."

The cheerleader froze, her lips slightly parted and her suddenly wide eyes almost immediately glistened with un-shed tears. Most others might have missed it, but to Rachel the expressions were clear as a bell. Quickly swallowing and composing herself, Santana's face once again became a mask of steel, but her eyes were sad and haunted. "I don't know what you're talking about." She declared haughtily, putting her foundation down and picking up her eye-shadow.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Rachel walked over to the counter and turned, leaning on it and facing the Cheerio directly. "Or do I have to say his name?"

"Whatever." Santana said curtly, not bothering to look at her as she continued with the makeup.

Rachel wasn't sure what came over her, but she couldn't seem to stop herself from continuing. "Is that denial in your voice, Santana? Have I actually struck a nerve?"

"You wish." Santana's tone was clipped and tight, but her crumbling facade spoke volumes to the young ingénue.

Rachel smiled slightly. "You seem to be forgetting my extensive years of training. I can tell very easily when someone is acting like they aren't bothered by the discussion at hand. And you aren't _**that **_good an actress."

Santana suddenly spun on Rachel, pointing the eye-shadow applicator at her and piercing her with hard, angry eyes. "You can be a real pushy little bitch sometimes, you know that?"

Rachel stood her ground and stared back just as hard. "Takes one to know one, Santana."

"What do you want to hear?" Santana's arms went wide with the question she practically yelled at Rachel. "About how I fell for a dumb, dancing jock like a typical school girl? About how sweet he was on every single one of our dates? How my heart practically leaped out of my chest the first time he kissed me? About the times he would show up unannounced to my home and take my Mom and me for breakfast, just because? Or the times he would take me to the teen club and danced with me until our feet were covered in blisters?" Santana's eyes took on a distant look, and Rachel got the impression she was starting to ramble now to herself more than talking to her. "About how perfect Christmas that year was simply because he was beside me for all but one day? Maybe New Year's Eve when for the first time in my life I was taught the difference between having sex and making love? About how I fell so deeply for him that I almost lost any sense of reason over myself and my emotions?" Santana turned and glared at Rachel again. "Fine, I did! Happy now?"

Rachel eyed her in shock at her sudden admissions. "Then why did you break things off with him?"

"BECAUSE I LOST CONTROL OF EVERYTHING! ALL OF IT! EVERYTHING I FELT FOR HIM WAS SO INTENSE IT ALMOST HURT!" Santana threw her eye-shadow so hard into the sink the plastic case cracked and a piece ricocheted onto the floor. Rachel watched in amazement as the cheerleader gripped the counter and began weeping anew, the tears leaving stain tracks in her new foundation as she struggled to regain her emotional equilibrium. Santana drew in a shuddering breath and sobbed again. "Four months! That's all it took was four months for that bastard to make me CARE! He made me want all the things I prided myself on never needing. Made me think for the first time in my life about marriage and kids and a stupid white picket fence. It wasn't until a couple of weeks after I broke it off that I realized my mistake in ending things. But it was too late. I was the Cheerios Captain and I couldn't be seen to be weak and go crawling back to a simple boy who's only saving grace was a spot on the football team. I started holding out hope that later, after school or in senior year even, when reputations don't matter so much, Matt and I could try again. And then he moved. HE MOVED and didn't even say goodbye. NOT EVEN A FUCKING EMAIL!" She slammed her hands on the counter for added emphasis to her point before wiping away more tears from her eyes and swallowing another set of shuddering breaths.

Rachel bit her lip. This was, by far, the most emotional she had ever seen the Latino cheerleader. Tentatively, she put an arm around Santana and just held her beside herself, watching her in the mirror as the Cheerio got her tears and breathing under control. "Maybe Matt was hurting too, Santana. Maybe he didn't want to go through even more of those emotions in front of you, especially if he thought you didn't feel the same way."

"That's the worst of it." Santana admitted, lifting her eyes to see Rachel in the mirror, tears still running from the corners. "I don't...don't even know what he felt. Don't know if his feelings had gone as deep or not. And I hate that so much now. Two years ago I convinced myself I didn't care. I was such a fucking **_idiot_**. Scared about my own stupid reputation and how I'd look in front of people who I probably won't even see after high school. But the boy I fell for? I just treat _**him**_ like garbage. It's so fucked up." Santana blew out a noisy breath. "_**I'm **_so fucked up."

Rachel smiled slightly. "It may not be too late to find out."

Santana laughed bitterly, shaking her head while wiping her eyes free of moisture. "Yeah, it is. It's way too late. He cut me off from his Facebook page, and I have no idea what his new cell number or email is. I don't have any means of contacting him." Santana grabbed another paper towel, and then, after taking a deep breath, blew her nose (not the most attractive sound Rachel had heard the cheerleader make; good to know not _everything_ about her was perfect), then quickly threw out the paper towel and turned towards her. "May I still borrow those clothes?"

Rachel nodded quickly and pulled them out, handing them over to her fellow student. "What about Mike? He and Matt were close. You might be able to get some information from him."

The cheerleader shook her head as she removed her skirt and slipped on the slightly too-large, slightly too-short jeans. "Mike can barely tolerate me in Glee, much less anywhere else in school, and you can just _**imagine**_ what Matt must have told him after I broke things off. I'm sure he thinks I'm a succubus or some other evil creature. Mike isn't like Finn, Rachel. He's not so quick to forgive those who've hurt him and his friends." Santana pulled on Rachel's plain black shirt and then eyed herself critically in the mirror. "You know, this shirt isn't half bad. I didn't think you had it in you to own ordinary clothes. If you stretched the neck a bit lower, you could have a great shirt to go clubbing in."

Rachel smiled at the pseudo-compliment as she grabbed Santana's cheerleading uniform shirt and began trying to wipe the massive purple stain on it. "Yep, that's me. Night-clubber extraordinaire! My secret passion outside of glee solos, Broadway and tall, lumbering boyfriends."

After washing her face free of the tear stained make-up, Santana began to reapply her foundation. "Seriously, you're probably the luckiest person I know, Rachel."

Her eyebrows going up in surprise, Rachel eyed Santana from beside her. "Yeah, I'm lucky alright. I'm a senior and _still _get slushied at least once a week, have half the glee club gunning for my backside in one way or another, and as endearing as he is, my boyfriend doesn't know whether he's coming or going most of the time. Did you know he didn't even tell me the truth of what happened with you and him two years ago? I found out on Jacob's website." Rachel vented her frustration by wringing out Santana's uniform shirt extra hard. "Real lucky, I am."

"To be honest, Rachel, Finn can be a bit of a coward when it comes to confrontation, which is odd considering he likes confrontational sports so much." The way Santana said it, without any malice or cruelty, prevented Rachel from wanting to speak hastily in Finn's defence, and she continued to listen. "But there was one thing he never wavered on in two years, and that's you. Me, Brittany, and probably half the other cheerleaders all tried to lure him away from you at one time or other, and he always refused and always for the same reason. 'I love Rachel'. It was the only answer he ever felt he needed." Santana looked seriously at her through the mirror while swiping her eye-shadow on again. "And you did that to him all on your own, Rachel, just by being yourself. It's practically unheard of here at McKinley. You got one of the most popular, sweetest guys in the school, and convinced him that you were the only one he would ever be satisfied with." Santana smiled slightly. "The other girls simply don't have what it takes, and that's the main reason you're unpopular, Rachel." Santana put her eye-shadow away and pulled out some mascara. "Of course, your rather annoying personality, abhorrent fashion sense and endless discussions about musicals don't help your cause, but Finn's a trooper. Somehow you got him, and the other girls are jealous because you're also smart enough to keep him."

Rachel stared at Santana in a completely new light. For the first time since she'd met the cheerleader, she suddenly felt that her fellow gleek was a person just like everyone else, with the same feelings, hopes, dreams, fears and insecurities. No longer was Santana merely the pretty Cheerio with the bitchy personality; she was a complex young woman who had tried so hard to be one of the school's most popular students and severely burned herself in the process, destroying her own reputation, throwing away a chance at love and regretting those decisions ever since. And in the process, she made Rachel realize that all of her own choices in the last two years had been worth it, because Finn was still beside her, still asking to be hers. _He's a trooper, alright_. Rachel thought to herself. _How many other guys in high school would have done that for this long?_ Rachel didn't need to do anything but be herself around Finn, and he would always be there, too.

And it was Santana who had driven that point home into her mind.

_Maybe I don't _**really**_ need to speak to Finn about yesterday._ She thought to herself. What happened had happened, and in the big scheme of things, it really was a rather minor matter.

A lot of the puzzle pieces regarding Santana had suddenly fallen into place for Rachel, and one of those pieces screamed something to her. _You have to help her, even if it's to simply find closure. _

Nodding slightly to herself, Rachel smiled at the girl who she hoped would be a new friend. "Thanks, Santana."

"Don't mention it, Berry. And I mean that. Don't mention it. Ever!" Santana's normally frosty tone had returned, but even as she finished with her mascara, she eyed Rachel through the mirror and a small grin graced her lips.

* * *

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged. Thanks. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N - This chapter is a bit lengthy, so my apologies to those who find it a bit cumbersome, but I've edited this chapter down three times and it still comes in as the longest chapter so far. Such is life and creativity, I suppose, and since Rachel and Finn don't seem to be much for talking in current canon given their break-up (I swear the kids in my son's kindergarten class are more mature then they are), they obviously felt the need to make up for it a bit here in a slightly A/U story. Hope it's enjoyed by all. **

**Disclaimer - see Chapter 1, if necessary. **

* * *

No texts. No calls, and a very cold "Hello" and "See Ya" during Glee. It was a wonder Rachel had even thought to sit beside him. _Didn't we just make up on Saturday? _Finn thought to himself. Of course, he supposed that's what happened when you behaved like a complete idiot. Neither his Mom nor Kurt had any hesitation in claiming he had been totally ridiculous in regards to purchasing Rachel's tampons, a story he only revealed to them because of their insistence that he explain Rachel's absence from their home after school. Burt, of course, had played the perfect part of step-father just by sitting there and laughing his ass off.

_At least I have a means to attack my frustrations._ Finn thought as he adjusted the drum set in front of him, raising a cymbal stand up higher and moving the seat back so his long limbs would have enough room to move comfortably over the instrument. It was 9:00pm, the time when all the other staff left for the day and Finn was free to assault the drums in whatever manner he deemed suitable, which in turn helped him forget about his current problems.

The store where he worked was, in his opinion, the perfect place for his first real job. Sure, Burt had taken him in on a casual basis at the garage to earn a bit of extra cash under the table, but as much as Finn liked fixing things, he didn't enjoy doing it for hours at a time on another person's vehicle.

Enter _**Fortissimo. **_

_**Fortissimo**_ was a rock musician's wet dream; every type of electric guitar, synthesizer, bass guitar, microphone and of course drum set could be found within the walls of this musical instrument store. Finn smiled at the memory of a year ago when he had found the ad indicating they were hiring for the new store and immediately asked Rachel for help preparing a resume. The shock on his face after being informed (immediately after his interview) that he was being hired to both sell percussion products and teach drum lessons must have been quite the sight, because Rachel and his Mom had been giggling the whole rest of that day. After a bit of organizational help from Rachel and his family, he was soon balancing school, glee, sports, dating AND a job, and for the first time in his life he knew he was going to be okay going to college. "_Pretty much turned from a teen-aged boy into a responsible young man overnight." _He had overheard his Mom say to Burt in regards to his new-found employment.

Tonight, though, was his chance to see if he would be able to both sing _**and **_drum through his next Glee assignment. Mr Schuester had given them an interesting one this time_: _

"_Find a song that you believe reflects what others think about you." _

Finn had one leap to mind immediately, and though somewhat self-depreciating (Kurt's words when he revealed his choice of song) he thought it would fit the assignment perfectly, and given Rachel's current silent treatment, probably what she thought of him at the moment, too. The fact that it was relatively challenging on both the drums and vocals provided another level to the test. _Pull this off, Finn, and you're sure to get top marks. Maybe even show Rachel a thing or two on how it's _**really** _done. _Well, he supposed he was dreaming about that. Except for the one time they had purposefully thrown the duets competition to convince Sam to stay in the club, Rachel had never walked away with anything less than a tie for top mark in Glee. _Maybe I can give her a good scare, though. _

He plugged his IPod into the adjoining P.A. system so he could hear the music loudly enough to play along while singing. The P.A. in the store was already hooked up to a couple of monitors, speakers and sub-woofers, and the sound was absolutely killer. Once he was sure the headset microphone was secure on his head, he thumbed the song on his IPod and twirled his drumsticks between his fingers, getting ready to feel like a rock-star.

The music started and a familiar 16th note snare drum pattern began with his hands. After a guitar intro, he settled in and began to sing:

_I'M PARALYSED, PROCESS INFORMATION AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT; __I'M FROZEN, IN MOTION_

_DESENSITIZED, OVERSTIMULATED MATTER OVER MIND; __AND KNOWING _

_I HAVE BECOME...COMFORTABLY DUMB  
I HAVE BECOME...COMFORTABLY DUMB_

This was going almost exactly as he had planned. The space between the lyrics and drumming was just enough for him to not get confused on either side. He inhaled a big breath of air and continued, feeding off the adrenaline high that playing and singing was giving him.

_I MUST CONFESS, HIGHLY EDUCATED IN MY IGNORANCE; NOT STUPID, STILL LUCID__  
INDIFFERENT, WATCHING A WORLD AMUSE ITSELF TO DEATH; I'M MUTED _

_I HAVE BECOME...COMFORTABLY DUMB  
I HAVE BECOME...COMFORTABLY DUMB_

The song went into the breakdown section, and Finn had to concentrate a little harder to ensure he kept the rhythm steady between his hi-hat and ride cymbal. Another fill and cymbal crash preceded a snare fill and then went straight into the lyrics of the bridge.

_WHAT? WHEN? WHY? WHERE? HOW COME? WHO CARES?  
KNOCK, KNOCK, WHO'S THERE? NO ONE, HOW COME? WHO CARES?_

He slammed another cymbal crash as he returned to the steady rock beat, his foot bouncing on the bass drum pedal, synchronizing with the bass guitar riff while a complex guitar solo played over both. Choked cymbal crashes followed, then a difficult hi-hat / bass drum / snare drum pattern, and then he smoothly re-entered into the chorus with another snare fill.

_I HAVE BECOME...COMFORTABLY DUMB  
I HAVE BECOME...COMFORTABLY DUMB _

TAKE ME AWAY, SO FAR AWAY  
SO FAR AWAY, WON'T SOMEBODY TAKE ME AWAY  
TAKE, TAKE IT ALL AWAY*

Finn finished the song battering both the snare and floor tom at the same time, pleased he'd been able to get through the song with only a couple of minor mistakes. As the music faded Finn began thinking of who should do the backup vocals on the chorus. Certainly Puck and Sam would be willing, and he might convince Artie to wail on the guitar solo in the middle to make this a _**real**_rocking number, and-

"That was _**FANTASTIC**_!"

"AAAGGHH!" Finn jumped from his drum stool in fright and tried to turn around at the same time, but his foot got caught on the leg of the snare drum stand and it tripped him up, sending him sprawling painfully to the floor and knocking over his stool, a percussion table and a few unused cymbal stands behind him. He landed in a heap with tambourines, cowbells, clappers and wood blocks spilling on top of him. "Ow!" he complained, trying to push the instruments and stands off himself.

"Oh, no! Finn, are you alright?" Finn wasn't sure when his mind processed who belonged to the voice, but suddenly Rachel was there, helping to right the percussion toys and stands off him. "I'm _**so**_ sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I just thought I'd come by and-"

"You scared the crap out of me, Rach! Ever try knocking?" Finn blew out a breath in relief from his scare, his head falling back against the floor.

Rachel dropped the cymbal stand she was trying to lift off of him and placed her hands on her hips, not seeming to care that the stand landed back on the same leg it had already crushed and causing Finn to wince in pain again. "As a matter of fact, I did, but the volume was so loud you didn't hear me. Thankfully you left the front door unlocked. And speaking of that, don't you think you should secure the building before you participate in your impromptu rehearsal sessions? Really, I could have been someone attempting to burglarize this establishment."

"Huh? Oh, well, Jared said he'd lock up once he left. He already knew I was going to stay and practice. Guess he forgot." Finn pulled a couple more cymbal stands off of himself and set them upright as he spoke.

"And the volume, Finn! Really, does it have to be so extremely loud when you are only practicing? Are you using hearing protection of any kind?"

Finn looked up at her from where he still lay on the floor, confused. "Rach, it's hard rock! If the P.A. levels aren't in the red, you might as well give up and go home. Besides, you just said it was fantastic!"

Rachel rolled her eyes as she pulled another cymbal stand off of him and set it up correctly. "I was talking about your overall musicianship, Finn, not the dynamics. Musically you _**were **_fantastic. You were hitting the high B with almost no effort and your drumming has improved dramatically from where you were a year ago. I still maintain, however, that the decibel level the P.A. was set to was completely unaccepta-"

This time it was Finn who rolled his eyes as he yanked on her arm, causing her to stumble over her feet and land directly on top of him. "Finn Hudson! How dare you-" He interrupted what he was sure was yet another lecture about something not really important (she seemed to have those in spades) so he crushed his lips to hers, plunging his tongue into her mouth and then slowed the kiss down, letting the sensation of their mouths and tongues together linger so he was sure she could feel all the emotions and passion he had for her in one single gesture. He smiled inwardly as he felt and heard her moan into the intimacy they shared, and his hand came up and began stroking her hair, his fingers entwining the brown locks and gently tugging on it as his kiss deepened. After a moment, she pulled away to catch her breath, eyes wide as he moved his lips over to her jaw-line and began tracing his way towards her ear. "Finn? We..._oh_...we..._mmmm_...we can't..._mm_...do this..._oh_ _yes..._I mean...do this...here!"

"Why not?" Finn asked huskily as his lips turned away from the back of her jaw and began nuzzling under her ear lobe, catching the sensitive bottom part of her ear as he continued. For good measure, his hand moved slowly down to her ass and squeezed gently, causing another moan to escape from her lips and her head to arch up, allowing his lips greater access to her neck.

"Because..._ooooh_...this is where..._hahh_...where you work!"

"And I'm working _**hard**_ right now on something _**very**_ important." Finn returned lustily as his other hand traced down her shoulder to cup her breast, also squeezing lightly. Rachel drew in a sharp breath as her body arched into his hand. God, he loved seeing her come unravelled this way, but just as he was about to bring his hand over her hips to slip under her sweater, she suddenly pulled away and stood up quickly, lips swollen and breathing heavily.

"Bad...bad boy!" she chastised in an uncharacteristically childlike manner, wagging her finger at him before reaching up to tidy her mussed hair and straighten her sweater. "Stop trying to sidetrack me. I came over for a reason."

Finn gave her an amused look. The workplace was, admittedly, another fantasy location for him, but he knew Rachel was very private in regards to any kind of romantic rendezvous. The best he'd gotten so far had been one of the classrooms at school, but considering it was well after school hours and no one but the janitor was in the building, he didn't really think it counted. He bounded to his feet and scooped her back into his arms, one hand returning directly to her behind and the other splaying itself under her sweater at the small of her back. He smiled as he felt her skin still flushed with heat from their activities. "I think I liked being sidetracked." He whispered in her ear and dove down onto her neck at her pulse point, his lips securing a good lock as he lightly sucked, causing her to instinctively arch into him and grip his shoulders.

"FIIINNNNN!" She drawled, complaining verbally and yet making no move to lift him away. "As..._ah_...enjoyable as..._mmmm_...this is...I need..._ooh..._need to ask you..._unh..._for a favour."

Finn instantly stopped what he was doing, his mind wandering back to the last 'favour' she had asked of him. It had involved a very embarrassing trip to the grocery store, a tongue lashing by his fellow gleek Mercedes, an upset Rachel who had just started speaking to him since she walked away yesterday, and a terribly embarrassing basketball practice in which every guy on the team couldn't seem to resist ribbing him about his trip into 'No Man's Land' (even the freshmen were giving it to him, which in itself was _**beyond**_ insulting). Finn pulled away slightly, looking into her big brown eyes with some hesitation. "Is this going to involve more feminine hygiene products, because if so-"

Rachel giggled a little. "No, it won't involve that, I promise. I'm sorry I stormed out, it's just I was uncomfortable and hurting and...well...you still did what I asked, so thank you for that."

Running a hand through his hair, he took a breath to calm himself down, then righted the drum stool and sat down on it. "I'm sorry too. I should have moved faster and not kept you waiting." He patted his lap and gave her and inviting gesture. "Let's forget about yesterday. Care to sit down?"

Smiling, she walked over and gave him a knowing look. "Care to behave yourself?"

"Scout's honour." Finn said, giving her the standard three finger symbol of the Scout's salute.

"You were never in Scouts, Finn." Rachel said, swatting the hand away even as she sat down on his lap and crossed her legs.

"My Mom really has to stop telling you about everything from my past." Finn said, his arms looping around her waist as his head rested on her shoulder. He inhaled her perfume, a smell he would never tire of, and gave a contented sigh. "Alright, spill. I'm all ears."

"Up here, Finn."

"Hmmm?"

"My eyes are up here, Finn." Rachel curled her index finger under his chin and tilted his head up and away from the favourable view they were getting down her v-necked sweater. "You said you would behave."

"My hands are still around your waist, so that's progress, isn't it?"

Rachel rolled her eyes even as she smiled. "Men! Anyway, I finally know what you can do to make things up to me."

Finn's eyes went wide as he thought about her words. "Make what up?"

Rachel's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. _Aw man! I almost had a total view of her bra, too._ Finn thought. He remembered quickly to look back to her face and noticed the annoyed (irritated?) look she was giving him. "We had a certain conversation over breakfast two days ago and already you're asking what you need to make up for?"

_Is she serious? She didn't count anything from this weekend as part of that process? _Finn stared into her eyes, dumbfounded, hoping they would soften or blink or do something to indicate to him that she was only joking about what she had just said.

Her eyes stayed exactly the same. She definitely wasn't joking.

Talking problems out worked reasonably well on Saturday, so remembering his Mom's words of 'honesty first' he plunged ahead with his most earnest thoughts. "I thought we covered all this over the weekend. I did a tonne of stuff for you. I took you shopping, I bought you a DVD, watched the DVD with you, ate taco salad with _**tofu**_, I might add, woke up at the crack of dawn to work out with you and ran over to a grocery store to buy you tampons, and _**now**_ you're telling me I'm not done?"

Rachel's mouth dropped open in astonishment as her eyes blazed hot as suns. Finn wanted to wince away from that look, because it usually meant a long, _**long**_ lecture was coming. _You really need to install a filter on your mouth, Finn, and tell your Mom that honesty can't possibly be the best policy_ _in EVERY situation_. Rachel jumped off his lap and placed her hands on her hips again, facing him directly at just above eye level.

"First of all, Finnegan." _Oh shit! Here we go. _Finn thought. "Taking me shopping was a date! We hadn't spent time together all week, so I thought an excursion to the mall where you could help me with my purchases was the perfect opportunity to correct that. Secondly, the movie was newly purchased and had an excellent variety of musical selections that I wanted us, as _**co-captains of Glee**_, to view in order to ascertain if they were suitable candidates for upcoming performances. Thirdly, I've been after you for months to ingest more salad and vegetables because your diet outside of your mother's cooking is atrocious at best, so forgive me for being concerned with your caloric intake."

_Sounds like were about halfway through the lecture now_. Finn grimaced internally, keeping his face an even mask of emotions on the outside.

"Fourthly, 8:00am is hardly the 'crack of dawn', and you practically ran me into the ground with your ridiculously difficult exercise regimen so if you think for one minute I'm even going to consider that as part of the forgiveness process then you've grossly underestimated the amount of effort you need to commit to this venture. Fifthly, you took over a half hour to do something that would take most normal people about five minutes because you were so concerned how purchasing a simple box of tampons might affect your 'manliness' or some other such nonsense that's equally laughable."

Finn swallowed. _Here comes the Finisher, right here. Always when she pauses to take a deep breath. This is where she puts away the knife and pulls out the rocket launcher. _

Rachel took a breath and composed herself slightly. "Now, after all that, and after all the pain, turmoil and suffering you've put me through since Thursday, discovering from a _**website **_instead of my _**boyfriend of TWO YEARS**_ that he had lied about the night he spent in the arms of _**another woman**_, _**NOW**_ you're going to ask me if what happened this weekend justifies and constitutes any rational reason as to why you should have earned my forgiveness?"

Finn's shoulders slumped in defeat and he buried his face in his hands._ Yep, it's official. Rachel Berry has completely mastered the art of verbally kicking me in the 'nads. _He should have known that nothing this weekend would have counted in her books. "Alright, alright, I get it. I still owe you in a big way. Okay." He peered through his fingers and saw her smiling slightly in victory at his admission. He spread his arms wide. "What is it you need?"

Rachel nodded in triumph and then returned to sitting on his lap, her arms this time securing themselves around his neck and that wicked grin which she had given him on Saturday morning returning to her face. Without a doubt, Finn knew he was _**not**_ going to like whatever she had coming next.

"Well, as you may know, my dads have been busy preparing a new charity organization, The O.G.L.E.R.S."

Finn knew they were working on some kind of charity thing, but didn't know (nor had he sought out) the details. It sounded like a group that tried to help those addicted to staring at other people, but he was pretty sure that wasn't really a crime. After all, he stared at Rachel every chance he got, and he hadn't been arrested yet. Speaking of staring, with her arms around his neck, he was definitely getting a better view down that sweater.

"Up here, Finn."

_Damn! _Sighing at being caught a second time, he reluctantly removed his eyes from her chest and looked up into those big brown orbs of hers. "Okay, the O.G.L.E.R.S. Um...what exactly is that?"

"It stands for The 'Ohio Gay / Lesbian Equal Rights Society'. "

Finn couldn't help himself. He started laughing. And not just a chuckle, but a sincere uproarious laugh that stretched itself all the way down his to his stomach. He probably could have laughed even longer than he did, but a very unamused look from the girlfriend sitting on his lap caused him to stifle it down faster than would have been normal. "Sorry Babe. I just can't believe your dads went ahead with a name like that when the resulting nick-name is _so _ridiculous."

Rachel removed her arms from around his neck and crossed them again, but at least she didn't leap off his lap in anger or disgust. "It's hardly ridiculous, Finn. It's a catchy acronym that'll be acutely remembered by anyone who hears it. Are you ever going to forget it now that it's been explained to you?"

Finn shrugged, conceding her point. "True, I likely will remember it now, so I guess you're right. But how does this concern me and how I owe you?"

Rachel stood from his lap now, wringing her hands and facing him directly. "Well, thing is, there is a big fundraiser for the charity this coming weekend and I was hoping-"

"That I'd volunteer to help?" Finn finished for her, causing her to smile in delight as he completed her thought. Finn nodded. _Man, that's it? How lucky could I be to get off _**so **_easily? Forgiveness Lane, here I come! _And besides which, how could he possibly say no to a smile like that, especially when those adoring eyes were staring at him so brightly? "Of course I'll help. Anything for you and your dads, Rach. You know that."

Rachel squealed excitedly as she gave him a passionate, thankful kiss on the lips, then hugged him tightly around the neck, almost knocking him off the drum stool. "Oh Finn, that's so wonderful. Thank you. I love you. You know that, right?"

Finn smiled as he returned the hug. "Of course I know." She pulled away, her hands still in his and that thousand watt smile still plastered on her face. He leaned in for another kiss, which was returned enthusiastically, and his hands started trailing up the back and underneath her sweater, and she made no move to stop him. _Awesome! Finally! _Finn thought as his hands came up and rested on her bra, still with no move by her to cease his actions. His lips moved over to the other side of her face and he began kissing lightly around her neck as his hands began tracing the contours of her breasts.

Rachel melted into his arms and caresses, her own hands beginning to explore his arms under his short sleeve shirt even as she whispered to him. "Oh Finn..._mmmm_..., this means so..._ohh_...much to me. My Dads..._mmmm_... were so worried they..._uuunnnhh_... wouldn't have enough..._mmm_...gentlemen for the..._oooo_...the bachelor auction."

_WHAT THE FUCK DID SHE JUST SAY! _Finn's mind screamed in warning, and all the blood that was rushing south of the border instantly reversed direction and began redistributing itself accordingly. Finn stopped, leaned back and looked at her with as calm an expression as possible, though he was sure she noticed his sudden change in demeanour. "Um...the what?"

"The bachelor auction, Finn." Rachel said, still smiling. "They need at least ten gentlemen to present themselves for bidding. But don't worry, you don't have to go on a actual date with the winner, you just keep them company for the remainder of the evening during the black and white, big-band gala ball."

Finn's mind was reeling at this point, so he backed it up and ran through everything she had just told him to see if he was correct to completely panic about this situation.

1. Big Band Gala ball meant the music was all likely big-band and jazz standards, which weren't exactly his favourite genres of music, but that was of far lesser concern than Number 2.

2. Black and White gala ball meant just that; black and white. That meant formal. Formal meant a tuxedo. He _hated_ tuxedos! Sure he got into them now and then for glee assignments or shows, but that was simply a means to an end. The show this time involved a very disturbing Number 3.

3. Bachelor Auction. That meant he was going to be put out on a runway or stage and bid on like a piece of meat, which although _**sounded**_ like every man's fantasy, it didn't appeal to him in the slightest because of Number 4.

4. This Bachelor Auction was for the O.G.L.E.R.S. O.G.L.E.R. stood for Ohio Gay / Lesbian Equal Rights Society. Chances were very high the bidding for men was likely to be by other men, meaning he'd have to have be a _**date **_for a- _man I'm SO not completing that train of thought. Rachel's kidding. She's GOT to be kidding. _

He regarded the petite brunette in front of him carefully. Rachel was still standing and regarding him happily with those admiring eyes and beautiful smile like he was her knight in shining armour.

_OH MY FUCKING GOD! SHE'S. NOT. KIDDING. _

Yes, he was definitely correct to completely panic about this situation.

"But I'm not a bachelor, Rach. You're my girlfriend! We've been dating for two years."

Rachel's smile grew a bit wider. "Legally, Finn, a bachelor is a man who's unmarried. I don't see any diamond rings on my finger yet, which means for the purposes of events like this, yes, you're still a bachelor."

"Aren't I a little young for this? Don't you have to be 21 or something?" _Finn, you are a genius! Totally shooting this down with a solid argument before it gets really out of hand. Good work!_

Rachel giggled slightly and gave him that special look which he recalled meant she found his ignorance of the subject at hand completely endearing. This alarmed him greatly because if she was dismissing his argument AND smiling while doing so, he likely had absolutely failed in his efforts to kill this idea. "Finn, you know Dad is a lawyer. Do you really think he would allow something illegal to occur? Besides, you're eighteen now. Under Ohio Law, all persons who are eighteen years of age or more and suffer from no legal disability are fully capable of contracting and are considered of full age for all purposes, including charity events. All you need to do is sign a waiver saying you are participating in this event of your own free will and without duress. No problems! Besides, like I said, it's just a date for the evening at the gala ball."

Finn sputtered in complete disbelief. "Th-that's your idea of making things up to you? Y-y-you want me to go on a date with a _**guy**_!"

"Well technically anyone could bid on you, but considering the likely audience, it _is _more probable that it'll be someone of the same gender." Finn stared at her with his mouth hanging open, and when Rachel noticed she frowned and crossed her arms again. "Finn! What is the issue here? I thought you were more open minded than this. You're surrounded by gay people all the time! My fathers are gay. Your step-brother and his boyfriend are gay."

"I'm not dating them, Rach! I don't have to try to entertain them all night, either. Really, how much do I have in common with gay people?"

Rachel started listing items on her fingers as she spoke in a very calm manner. "Well, first of all, we're all human. To be specific, with Kurt and Blaine, you have music and school in common. With my Dad, you have a love of sports and classic rock. With my Daddy, you have a love of science fiction and sour candy products...need I say more?"

At this point, Finn was beginning to see the end of this argument coming, and in no way was it going to end in his favour. Really, he was surprised he lasted this long to begin with, but once Rachel had her mind set to something and was determined to follow it through, it would take nothing less than a full speed locomotive to derail her from her mission. Knowing that further discussion about his objections to this arrangement would likely prove fruitless, he resorted to pleading. "Rach, you're not going to actually make me do this, are you? Do you know how _**uncomfortable**_ this is going to be?"

Rachel's eyes narrowed dangerously. "About as _**uncomfortable**_ as having it posted on a _**website**_ that your boyfriend actually lost his virginity to a loose cheerleader _**two years ago**_ and didn't bother to tell you himself despite ample opportunity?"

_Good job, Finn. By now you should just fucking beg her for _**another**_ of those verbal groin shots. She's done it twice now with the same move! _Finn sighed, even as he rubbed his eyes with his hand in frustration. His instincts on Saturday were so spot-on-accurate in regards to that evil smile she had given him. He couldn't believe she was strong-arming him into this. Yeah, he hid the truth from her and owed her for that, but damnit, this was just overkill in the cruel and unusual punishment department. "Rach. You're killing me here."

"Oh Finn, don't be dramatic." Rachel said, causing Finn to regard in her in utter disbelief. He figured she was being _**doubly**_ insulting considering drama and theatrics were practically her middle name. "Look, it's simple. You present yourself on stage while the MC tells everyone a little bit about your accomplishments, then the bidding commences, and whoever wins gets to link their arms in yours and share dinner, dancing and conversation for the night. At the end of the evening, you get them their coat, escort them to their car, and that's it. No problems." Rachel smiled as she linked her arms around his neck again. "It'll be fine, I promise. My Dads will pick you up on Saturday at 4pm and you can go from there."

Her Dads? Wait a minute. "You're not picking me up?"

Rachel smiled a bit sheepishly. "No, I...I can't make it."

Finn's eyes bugged out of his head. "Wh-what? You're going to send me into the lion's den _**alone?**_"

Rachel shrugged a bit. "I'm already committed to helping Lincoln Jr. High prepare for their recital next week and scheduled a Saturday evening rehearsal. It pays too much for me to cancel it now. Like I said, you'll be fine. Don't worry so much."

Finn thought about this seriously, going through exactly what it all entailed for him. He had to rent a tux and then get picked up by her girlfriend's _**fathers**_ (no, no, the girl he falls in love with can't just have one like most normal girls, she has to have _**two **_that he needs to impress) to be taken to a charity event where he was going to be purchased like a prized stallion to spend the night wining, dining and dancing with someone who would no doubt be the same gender as himself. _Maybe I'll be lucky and they won't be so big into dancing._"When exactly did you get your medical license, Rach? Because I think you've successfully cut off my balls and I honestly don't feel even a twinge of pain down there."

She looked at him with wide, big, almost sad eyes and her lips held a tiny pout. "Please, Finn?" For added emphasis, she gripped his arm in that peculiar way she always did when practically begging for something.

_Oh for the love of...she just _**has **_to use that voice and _**has **_to use those eyes and _**has**_ to use that grip and...and...and...AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHH! _Finn screamed the frustration in his mind even while he closed his eyes and verbally whispered a weak "Okay."

"I knew I could count on you, Finn." She said as she hugged him tightly. He returned the hug as much as he could while his innards still felt like a four hundred pound wrestler had speared him through a brick wall.

Rachel pulled away and kissed his lips softly and tenderly, showing him exactly _**why**_ he had agreed to this; because it was her, and because _**her**_ was Rachel Berry, and because Rachel Berry had chosen _**him**_. He revelled in the soft, tender kisses when she suddenly pulled away and spoke brightly to him. "So, what song are you going to sing?"

"Huh?"

"It's customary for the bachelors to show everyone a talent they possess, Finn. Some read from a piece of poetry they've written, some play a musical instrument or speak a monologue from a famous play, but I figured given your wonderful voice, you'd probably want to sing." She collected his IPod for him, turned off the P.A. and then began walking towards the exit with him in tow, following along dumbly. "I have a playlist of big band standards on my IPad. We can go through them and choose a piece. What do you think?"

_I think I want to die. Right here. Lord, God, Grilled Cheesus, whoever, please just end it all right now. I'm begging you._Finn smiled down at Rachel. "Sure, of course." He replied shell-shocked, positive that when he got home he would find he no longer possessed any male genetalia.

(And thus began Step 6, the most vicious and vindictive step in Rachel's 7 Step Program).

* * *

***Lyrics are from "Comfortably Dumb" written and performed by Extreme.**

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N - Well, I actually managed to get a chapter done before Christmas. It was touch and go for a while there, but both my protagonists insisted I at least post this before the holiday, so if I don't manage to post anything before the weekend, Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope this chapter is enjoyed by all. **

**Disclaimer - See Chapter 1 if necessary. **

* * *

Rachel waited patiently around the corner from Mike's locker as the tall Asian boy finished his conversation with Sam. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to convince him to give her what she needed, but she still had to try. Santana had obviously been completely devastated about how she poorly she had ended relations between her and Matt, and Rachel was positive if she could somehow just get them talking to each other, then they could somehow reconcile things. If all went according to plan, maybe more than reconciliation would occur, but she'd be happy just know her fellow gleek was able to resolve her feelings.

Upon seeing Sam leave to head for Quinn's locker, Rachel took the opportunity to step forward into Mike's line of sight. "Hi, Mike."

Mike turned his head away from the top shelf of his locker to see the tiny brunette standing beside him. He smiled genuinely. "Hey, Rachel, what up? Finn and you sort things out, finally?"

Rachel nodded. "Oh, yes. You know us; we can't stay mad at each other for very long. But I actually need to ask you for a favour."

Mike seemed surprised by her admission, so he turned to face her fully. "Sure, okay. What is it?"

_Push through the nerves! Push through the nerves! _Rachel reminded herself. Biting the inside of her lip, she looked around the halls quickly to see if Santana, Quinn or Brittany were nearby, because if so she was sure this would all backfire faster than an old Ford Pinto. Leaning in a bit, she held her voice low so only Mike could hear what she said. "Do you happen to have Matt's new cell phone number or email, by any chance?"

Mike's eyes widened in surprise her request. "Uh, yeah, sure I do. Just spoke to him this weekend actually. He's doing good at the new school and got a job teaching dance to kids three times a week. Why would you need his contact info? No offense, but you two never seemed super close or anything."

Rachel closed her eyes briefly and blew out a breath. It was true that she had never been great friends with Matt, or even tried to be, a fact which she regretted when she learned he had moved away, but at that point in her life everything was divided into two categories; glee and Finn / Jesse / Finn again; frankly she was surprised she even remembered her fathers' names. "I'll be honest, it's not really for me."

Tucking his books under his left arm, Mike used his free hand to pull out his cell phone and scroll through his contacts list. "Finn need to get a hold of him for something?"

"No." Rachel inhaled quickly, summoning the courage to say what was next, and then rushed through with her words. "It's for Santana."

Mike's response to that last sentence was automatic, and his face contorted instantly from amiable friendliness to almost complete outrage. "No!" Mike uttered angrily, shoving his phone back into his pocket, slamming his locker shut and walking away. "No, no, no, and _fuck _no!I'm not handing anything about Matt over to that witch."

Rachel expected some kind of resistance from him, but the vehemence with which he spoke of Santana completely shocked her. She quickened her pace to keep up with his longer strides. "Mike, please. She's really hurting over this."

Mike rounded on her, face flat with anger and eyes filled with rage. "You think _**she's**_ hurting over it? Do you have any idea how much fuckin' _**nursing**_ I had to do with Matt? He almost gave up on everything he had at that time! He didn't even care about his grades or sports that winter, and he was this close to quitting Glee right after it happened." Mike held his thumb and index finger apart only a fraction of an inch to indicate how close it was.

"I know things didn't end well, but-"

"Didn't end well? That's a fucking understatement!" Mike interrupted her with steel in his voice. "Rachel, Matt was practically _**obliterated**_ when she blew him off. He'd been in love with her since the seventh grade. He' been her friend and pretended to never want anything more for three years until he finally got a clue that she wanted to date. They didn't even get into a fight the entire time they were together. And then in February that year, she just one day walks over to his house and in front of his little sister announces that she has bigger and better opportunities waiting for her and can't be bothered with a dumb jock like him anymore. He _**begged**_ her to explain what she meant. He thought maybe she'd been accepted into some cheerleading program out of state or something and didn't want to do long distance. Then one day Brittany saunters by and drops the bomb on both of us that Lopez banged Finn and was the new Cheerleading Captain. That was Santana's definition of 'better opportunities'; jumping from one jock to another simply because the new one was the quarterback. And she didn't even _**date **_Finn. She dropped a four month relationship for a one night stand, just to improve her social status. It was borderline abusive." Mike blew out a breath and rubbed a hand through his hair. His voice came down a notch in volume when he next spoke. "Santana played him, Rachel. Just like a marionette; she pulled every single one of his strings and when she got bored, she cut them all free from her fingers and let him slump like a ragdoll." Mike shook his head again. "If you think for one minute I'm going to let her have Matt's contact info so she can do it again, you're out of your mind."

Rachel was stunned at the monologue Mike had just given her. She didn't think she had ever heard him say more than a few sentences together at one time, and Santana obviously wasn't kidding when she had mentioned that Mike could barely tolerate her. But Mike also didn't have all the facts, like how Santana was so terrified of the passionate feelings Matt evoked in her that she had reacted the only way she knew how; escape. Swallowing a breath, Rachel continued. "Santana knows she didn't respond properly to him, Mike. She's just trying to make things right. Find closure, all that jazz?"

"Really? Then why the hell isn't _**she **_here asking for Matt's info?"

"Maybe because she was afraid you'd react exactly like this?"

Just then the bell rang signaling the next class was about to begin, causing Mike to look at his watch. "Look, I have class on the other side of the building. I gotta go." He turned and jogged off in the direction of his classroom.

Rachel frowned at Mike's retreating figure before turning to get to her own class, her mind sifting through everything he had just revealed. True, most of what Mike had said she had been able to discern from Santana's revelations in the bathroom the day before, but she had no idea Santana had been quite that cruel about the breakup, nor had she known of Matt's long-standing crush on Santana. It did seem, however, like both parties were terribly hurt in the process, which in her mind just wasn't an acceptable way to keep things going. _Maybe this won't be quite as simple as I thought._ Rachel silently said to herself. _But to quote my boyfriend, 'I don't give up that easy.' _Smiling slightly and squaring her shoulders, she resolved to follow through with her self-imposed mission, no matter how long it might take.

**XXXXX**

"I have to admit I'm surprised you didn't find a suitable song on Rachel's IPad playlist." Artie said as he wheeled himself over to the vast array of CDs and sheet music he had on large bookcase in his bedroom while Finn sat on his bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Finn had enlisted Artie and his immense musical knowledge to help him find a decent song since all of Rachel's suggestions had either been sappy love songs, sweeping show tunes or stuff that was just off-the-wall bizarre.

"Well, you know Rachel. Every song she sings has to do with romance or true love or something. I don't really feel comfortable singing a song like that at an occasion like this," Finn suddenly turned to his right, "and stop laughing! It's annoying as fuck!" To his right sat Puck at Artie's desk, wiping his eyes in mirth as he continued to giggle like a schoolboy who'd just successfully put a tack on the teacher's chair. Come to think of it, that's exactly how Puck sounded when at the age of ten he **_did_** put a tack on the teacher's chair. It was just his luck that Puck had to be at Artie's for geometry tutoring the same time Finn came over to talk about music selections.

"No way I'm gonna stop laughing 'bout this one, Fimbecile!" Puck retorted while maintaining his shit-eating grin. "God, I knew you were whipped, but this goes straight into the fucking 'chopped and blended' category. Agreeing to be in a fucking _**bachelor auction**_ for a _**gay rights charity**__?_"

Artie looked bemusedly at Puck. "Given your reputation, I'm surprised you didn't call Rachel and ask to be included on the roster yourself."

Puck glared at him, pointing his pencil at the wheel-chair clad boy. "Listen here, NASCAR," Puck addressed him with the nickname he had given Artie due to his wheelchair, "you of all people should know that The Puckasaurus only has eyes for the ladies."

"Is that what you call them?" Finn commented wryly. "Does that help you forget that most of them are twenty years older than you are?"

"That's rich coming from a guy who's been dating the same girl for _**two years**_ without taking ole 'One-Eye' to the optometrist. "

Artie turned on Puck and penetrated him with a glare. "Head down and finish that geometry worksheet, unless you want to be devoured by 'The Beiste' when your grade point average plummets and you're kicked off the basketball team."

Puck scowled, but complied and grabbed a compass and protractor, setting to work on his notebook. Turning back to Finn, Artie rifled through his sheet music again, frowning slightly. "Well, I can think of two songs right off the bat that might suit your requirements. _Mack the Knife_ was a very popular big band song by Bobby Darrin which has nothing to do with love, or you could consider _My Way_ by Frank Sinatra."

"I thought that was Elvis?" Finn looked up in surprise.

"He covered it. Much of Elvis's repertoire was actually covers of other people's songs. Just like a lot of the early Beatles stuff were covers. In fact, a lot of the songs we hear on Top 40 are covers of songs originally done in the 70's and 80's." Artie blew out his breath and shook his head as he finished scanning his other music. "The rest of my sheet music is either love songs or instrumental arrangements, unless you want to drum instead. I think I have _Sing Sing Sing _in here somewhere."

"But then everyone will compare me to Gene Krupa. I'm good, but not _**that **_good." Finn sighed and rested his head on his hand, racking his brain for another solution to his dilemma. He wasn't the biggest fan of Sinatra, and though he used to like _Mack the Knife_ as a song, Rachel had killed any joy he had for it by explaining in unending detail how it had originally been part of some famous play called _Three Penny Opera _back in the 20's (that she could keep so many odd, old and useless facts about music and theatre in that small head of hers never ceased to astound him). "I can't believe I let Rachel rope me into this. I _**wish**_ I knew big band stuff better, but really, who listens to this stuff anymore other than old people."

"Hey, watch who you're calling old!" Puck spoke up as he traced out an angle calculation on grid paper. "I listen to that stuff all the time with my Mom and neither one of us are old. Well, maybe she is, but not the Puckmeister."

Artie turned his wheelchair around so that it faced his fellow student. "You told me you only listened to it to appease her when she gets upset about something."

"Yeah, well, she gets upset _**a lot**__, _and usually with me, so I'm listening to it pretty much all the time, now." Puck looked up quickly before returning to punch in some numbers on his calculator. "You think she wants to listen to _**my **_shit? That would turn off anyone over twenty-five."

Artie shrugged. "Big bands nowadays often compile arrangements of more modern songs to intersperse in their sets. The last big band I saw at the Jazz Cafe had a rendition of _No More Tears_."

Puck noticeably cringed even as he continued on his worksheet. "Adding horns to an Ozzy song? That's just offensive, dude. And I wouldn't call a twenty year old song modern."

Finn's eyes tuned out the rest of the conversation Puck and Artie were having as an idea struck him like a bolt of lightning. _Turn people off! Offensive! THAT'S IT! Just like the duets competition last year! _"Hmmm, maybe I don't have to limit myself to big band standards. Maybe I can make my choice of song work in _**my**_ favour for a change." Finn half-smiled smugly to himself as he pulled out his IPod and began scanning his playlist for the song that came to mind.

Puck and Artie exchanged confused glances before they both turned towards him. "What exactly were you thinking, Finn?" Artie asked cautiously.

Finn continued to scroll down the list on his IPod and until he found what he considered to be the perfect song for his 'assignment'. He turned the music player around to Artie. "This one."

Hesitantly, Artie took Finn's IPod and looked at the screen before his jaw dropped of its own accord. "Finn, you can't be serious. No! You _**cannot**_ do that one; not given the crowd you'll have. You'll be crucified _**and**_ smacked down by the Hand of God. And worse, no one will want to bid on you!"

"That's the idea!" Finn practically bubbled with excitement. "Rather than bail on Rachel and her dads completely, I just sing this song and then won't have to go through with the actual date part of the night. I can say I tried my best and it's not my fault that no one decided to pony up and have the good looking quarterback as their escort."

Curiosity getting the better of him, Puck reached over from Artie's desk and snatched the IPod so he could study the screen, and then started howling with laughter. "Finn, that's fucking _**brilliant**__!_ Offend everyone in the room, no one bids on you, and instead of having to look like Rachel's whipping boy, you get to relax by yourself and have a free meal! Fuck, pull this off and you are _**the man!**_" He and Finn high fived each other above Artie even as Artie groaned and put his head in his hand.

"You mean _**the DEAD man**_, don't you?" Artie asked. "When word gets back 'round to Rachel, she'll want to remove Finn's manhood with a chainsaw."

Puck shrugged. "Given what Finn's agreed to do for her, I'd say Rachel already has his manhood tucked away in her purse somewhere. OW!" Puck grimaced as Finn's fist connected solidly with his shoulder. "Ass-Wipe!"

Artie shook his head. "Her fathers are still going to be there even if she's not. They'll never be impressed by this."

Finn scratched the stubble on his chin (_Damnit, already? Didn't I just shave yesterday?) _while thinking about the issue Artie had raised. How _**would**_ he get around the issue of Rachel's dads, and more importantly, Rachel herself finding out about this scheme? Puck and Artie waited patiently for him to give an answer, but try as he might, he couldn't come up with a reasonable solution. He knew he wasn't always quick on the uptake when it came to-..._Oh wow! That's the answer! Right in front of me! YES! _Smiling, he turned to Artie and Puck. "I don't have to come up with a reason or excuse for them. That's what's so awesome."

Again, Puck and Artie exchanged a glance indicating neither of them had any idea what Finn was talking about. "Okay, let me get this straight." Artie said, massaging his temples. "You're going to purposefully jeopardize your own chances of attracting a bid at the auction, and you won't have to explain that to Rachel or her fathers?"

Finn's smile grew even wider. "Exactly! See, everyone who knows me already thinks and accepts that I'm not the smartest guy out there, so how's one more dumb decision gonna change that? But this time, I'm using what people think of me to my advantage. I can pretend to be all confused about why this would offend people in the first place, and Rachel and her Dads and everyone else will just chalk it up to another one of 'Finn's poor choices'. It's foolproof."

Artie and Puck looked at each other, stunned and with genuine admiration in their faces. "Dude," Artie spoke first. "You just had an epiphany! A real, honest-to-God epiphany. That's fantastic! I feel so privileged to witness such a monumental event."

Puck, for his part, mimicked wiping his eyes free of tears. "I always knew this day would come." He spoke with mock sadness. "The day when Finn would realize he could use his powers for completely evil purposes. I couldn't be more proud."

Finn and Artie laughed genuinely at that before Finn turned to Artie. "So what do you think? Could you get a big band arrangement of that song done in time?"

"It all be easy as pie, yo!" Artie responded in his bad gangster talk accent, bumping fists with the quarterback. "The song has a simple melody line that will _**easily**_ translate to a horn section. After that I'll just adjust some of the rhythm and bass parts, and everything will fall into place. You couldn't pick a better song for this even if you wanted!"

Finn grinned again as he high fived his two friends. Deliberately sabotaging his own odds at the bachelor auction would ensure a normal evening party of eating and mingling instead of being at the beck and call of some other person. Sure, he was almost always at Rachel's beck and call, but that was _**Rachel**_; he didn't want it to be some dude who would probably give him the lustful eye all night. Now he didn't have to worry; with this plan in place, he would purposely offend everyone in the room, be shunned all night, and then just bask in his time alone with free food and drink. And he could just pretend that he wouldn't understand _**why**_ it would offend people; after all, how many times had someone mentioned that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed?

Yep, it was _**foolproof**_.

* * *

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're greatly encouraged! :) **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N - Hope everyone had a good Christmas / Holiday. Only a few more days now until the New Year, so I figured I'd post this before things become even more hectic in my family life over the next week. Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer - See Chapter 1 if necessary. **

* * *

Rachel walked into the library at the school, deciding to find an additional book on discrimination issues for her project in law class. Law was easily one of her favourite subjects; had been ever since her Dad had explained the Declaration of Independence at the tender age of three. She almost always kept abreast of current legal issues, even those which didn't concern her Dad's line of work. If there was an issue of legal rights happening somewhere in the United States, she was usually one of the first students at McKinley to know. In fact, if it wasn't for her perfect pitch and incredible stage talents which just demanded that she have her name in bright lights on Broadway, she might well have considered a profession in the legal system.

As she walked in she saw Mike sitting at one of the study tables with his back to the door, a pair of ear-bud headphones in his ear and a small book in front of him. He seemed to be reading something in his native Chinese language (she wasn't sure if that was Mandarin or Cantonese) since he was hunched over something that looked like a small novel. Deciding to pursue her earlier conversation with him, she walked right over and pulled out the chair across the table from him. "Mike. Good to see you again."

Mike didn't react to what she said, but he looked over upon noticing her sitting there and pulled out an earphone, a slightly bored expression still on his face. "Rachel, please don't tell me you're hear about Matt's contact info again. I told you already, I'm not going to give it to you for Santana. She needs to buy herself a set of morals _**and **_manners, first."

Deciding to start with positive persuasive tactics, she went forward with her first argument. "Mike, you're one of the nicest guys in the school, and-"

"Flattery gets you nowhere, Rachel, so save that stuff for Finn. He's the one you're dating." Mike grabbed his earphone and was about to put it back into his ear when her small hand came up and rested on his to keep him from doing so.

"Alright, fine. Just let me ask you a question. How much have you talked to Santana about what happened between her and Matt?"

Mike snorted, even as he put his book down and turned off his IPod. "You're joking, right? Why would I subject myself to talking to her regarding this issue? First of all, it's not technically my business, it's between her and Matt. Secondly, no matter what she would have said, it wouldn't have changed the amount of pain and torment Matt went through. He's one of my best friends, Rachel. If I have to choose between a best friend and the girl who shattered his heart, I'm gonna choose my friend. It's not even a question."

"Nor should it be." Rachel agreed, nodding. "But Santana _**did **_talk to me about it. In fact, she broke a makeup container over it. She's not okay with how she handled things, Mike. She's a mess and has been trying to push him out of her mind for two years and failed miserably at it. That's why she's been with so many guys since. She's using sex to forget what happened between them, but no one has made her feel as happy or alive. Not even close. "

Mike looked at her sceptically as he drummed his fingers on the study table in front of them. "And she told you all this when? She doesn't even reveal her choice of breakfast cereal to Brittany! The girl is just one enigma after another."

"It's armour to her. It's so obvious when you look closely. Inside she's still hurting. She fell so deeply for him, Mike, that it frightened her. She told me she was actually starting to think how nice settling down might be, not that she'd ever admit it a second time, I'm sure, but…" Rachel shrugged. "I don't think Santana was ready for the sudden onslaught of emotions that came with dating Matt. She'd never felt love like that before."

Mike leaned his head back on his chair and covered his face with his hands. "Rachel, if I give this to you and Santana breaks his heart again, I'd never forgive myself. And more importantly, Matt would never forgive me. I don't even know if he wants to speak to her again."

Rachel grimaced. She actually hadn't thought _**that**_ side of the equation through completely, so she improvised a little in her argument. "I'm hoping after two years they've both matured enough to at least talk about it amicably and settle some things between themselves. When Finn and I discussed the whole situation regarding his night with Santana this past weekend, it was probably the most mature, adult conversation we'd ever had. It was extremely hard for both of us, but we broke a lot of ground really, really quickly and got to understand each other faster than I would have initially believed." She leaned a little closer Mike, her eyes steady on his. "Really, don't you think Matt deserves some closure to this fiasco, too; especially if he loved her for so long? Doesn't he deserve to at least get an apology from her for how she handled things?"

Rachel could tell Mike was starting to crack just a bit by the way his eyes turned from her gaze and stared ahead at the bookcase in front of them, his lips twitching slightly as he bit the inside of his cheek, lost in thought. "Maybe he does." Mike finally relented after a minute before turning to Rachel. "But how can I trust her? Why is _**she**_ not the one asking me? Why did she send you?"

"She didn't." Rachel answered simply. Again she shrugged and smiled a bit as Mike rolled his eyes in disbelief. "I'm here of my own volition. But I know what she said in that bathroom three days ago, and I think she needs this. And if what you told me about Matt is true, he probably needs it too."

"You really enjoy butting into other people's business, don't you?"

"No, actually I don't. But if I see people around me hurting and know I can help, I feel compelled to try. That's why I dragged Kurt into a duet song last year. That's why I told Finn about Puck and Quinn; all three of them were hurting so much, how could I let them all lie to each other like that?"

Mike gave her a look of disbelief. "Uh, probably because you wanted Finn for yourself?"

Rachel shrugged slightly, conceding the point. "Okay, that _**was **_a large part of it, which looking back on it now was silly of me. I knew Finn wouldn't really be ready for another relationship after a harsh break-up like that, but I was so anxious to have his attention I ignored my own logic. But can you honestly tell me now, two years later, all three of them aren't better off for it? Quinn has moved on with Sam and will likely run for Prom Queen, Puck is back to being Finn's best friend _**and**_ starting to work hard enough to at least graduate high school, and Finn is applying to colleges and-

"Dating you." Mike interrupted her with a slight smile.

Rachel huffed in annoyance. "Yes, but it took us _**months**_ to get to that point and a couple bumps in the road called Jesse and Santana before we got it figured out. My point is, Mike, that everyone deserves that chance. Matt certainly does, and I'd be willing to give Santana a second chance if I were you."

Mike sighed and pulled out his phone, starting to scroll through the contacts again, but then shook his head and put it away. "No. It's just not that easy." He said as he grabbed his IPod and book and got up to leave the table. Rachel felt the bitter sting of disappointment fill up her stomach, but just before he stepped away from the table, Mike turned towards her. "You're a good person to vouch for her, Rachel, especially when most others wouldn't, given your history. Tell Santana if she wants the info, I'll give it to her, but she has to ask me _**herself**_." With that he turned on his heels and stalked out of the library.

Watching him retreat out into the hallways, Rachel sighed deeply and leaned back in her chair. She wasn't convinced she'd be able to get Santana to take the leap of faith and ask Mike directly for it, but this was definitely a step in the right direction.

**XXXXX**

"Dude, do we really have to listen to the _Les Mis_ soundtrack again?" Finn complained.

"Finn, let me say before we get into any kind of debate that I am very proud of you for undertaking this task to help Rachel and her fathers. However, seeing as it's _**me**_ you're inconveniencing and _**my vehicle**_ you've commandeered to assist in your endeavours, you are hereby subject to whatever punishments I deem necessary. It wasn't in my plans to leave school for an entire afternoon just to ensure you could rent a tuxedo." Kurt swiped his bangs away from his eyes as he continued the hour and a half drive to Dayton in his spotless Lincoln Navigator. "Remind me to get you a copy of _Tuxedos for Dummies _for your birthday."

"It's not my fault all the formal wear places in Lima are sold out." Finn shifted again in his seat. Yes, it was a very comfortable vehicle, but being the height he was meant he usually felt cramped in anything that wasn't a Lazy-Boy recliner.

"Actually, it _**is **_your fault. You tried to reserve a tux for a Saturday night formal gala ball on _**Friday morning**_. Did you honestly expect there to be anything available in a small community like Lima?"

"I can't help that I'm 6'3. How was I supposed to know that each place only had about five tuxedos for tall guys?"

"You should have accepted the one store's offer for the baby-blue tuxedo. Considering you have the obvious intellect of an infant, the colour would have been quite suitable."

"You're just mad because now you can't sneak Blaine home during your spare in the final period." Finn shot back. Kurt's wide eyes and expression of outrage caused Finn to smile internally. _Oh yeah, I so nailed that one right on head! _"It's cool, dude. I'm not gonna rat you out."

"Unlike you and Rachel, Finn, when Blaine and I convene at our humble abode during spare period, it _**is**_ to actually study." Kurt's face got about two shades more red than it was previously, which was all the proof Finn needed to know that Kurt was stretching the truth like a rubber band.

"Which subject? Chemistry? Anatomy? Calisthenics?" Finn leaned in a bit, wiggling his eyebrows a bit on that last word.

"Those are some uncharacteristically large words you're dropping for a student who can barely think his way out of a paper bag."

Finn guffawed. "I'm a jock, Bro. I understand plenty when it comes to _**physical education**__." _Finn eyed his step-brother, who hadn't snapped back with any sort of comment or snide remark in return. "And by your silence I'm guessing _**you've **_learned a great deal about the subject during your 'study periods'."

Kurt's face was as bright red as a tomato at this point, causing Finn to laugh out loud even as Kurt leaned forward and turned up the radio. "You'll have to cease and desist now, Finn. I want to listen and sing to this next song _On My Own_. Thank you very much."

Finn smiled as he turned his head and looked out the window while listening to his step-brother match the singer's voice note-for-note. _God, I love having a little brother_. _So much fun to torment. _

They arrived at the tuxedo store about a half hour later. Upon entering the store, Finn was floored at the number of tuxedos available and wasn't even sure where to begin his search. Kurt, however, had had no problems orienting himself and immediately moved off to the right side of the store, critically eyeing the various styles and cuts of the suits on display in front of him, his left arm supporting his right at the elbow while he tapped his lips with the index finger of his right hand. "Most of these styles went _**out**_ of style last year. What is this store still doing carrying these lines?"

Finn shook his head. "I don't need anything fancy. Just a plain black tux with a white shirt, black tie and vest. Then we'll be good to go."

Kurt once again gave him that look of pity he always did whenever the two step-brothers had gone shopping together. "Finn, really, I can somewhat understand that your simplistic day-to-day wear prevents you from overtaxing that lump of dead cells between your ears, but this is your chance to _**shine**_. And when you have such an opportunity, you have to make the most of it aesthetically. As I've said before, every occasion in life-"

Finn rolled his eyes. "-is an occasion for fashion." He finished for his step-brother. "Yeah, sure, I get it. Fine. Since you know more about this than I do, I'll let you decide."

"Always a wise move, Finn. Rachel **_must_ **be rubbing off on you." Kurt went through another display of tuxedos all displayed on dummies until his eyes found one in particular which eyed appraisingly. "This might work."

"It's all black! It's not a funeral, Bro."

"It stands, out, Finn." Kurt waved dismissively at his step-brother's comments while he opened the jacket and checked the label. "Hmm, not a designer name, but I think it will do nicely to separate you from all the other eligible bachelors which will be gracing the stage. " He copied the code down, then went to the racks and pulled out the appropriate jacket and pant combination. "Let's see…hmmm…yes, all the measurements for this are the same as your own." Kurt grabbed Finn's arm, placed the hanger in his hand and then pointed towards the back of the store. "Go try it on, brother mine. The sooner we can get it altered and out of here, the better."

Ten minutes later, Finn emerged from the rooms with the tux slung over his shoulder. "Yep, it fits fine except for the pants. They're a little big and long, believe it or not."

Kurt turned towards the Sales associate in the store. "How long do alterations take? A half-hour?"

The elderly lady behind the counter looked up from her _People Magazine _and shrugged. "Tailor left early this afternoon for the weekend. We wouldn't be able to alter it until Monday."

"Of course not." Kurt smiled at her; the type of smile Finn knew meant his step-brother was silently fuming at the new set of circumstances. "Very well. Since the signs on the counter tell me tailoring is included in the price, we'll rent this tuxedo at a 20% discount, seeing as I'll have to do all the work on it myself."

The Sales Associate frowned. "I can only authorize 10%. Only the manager can give a higher discount."

"And where is the manager?"

"Gone for the weekend with the tailor, I'm afraid. Apparently there's some ogle convention up in Lima? Anyway, they decided to spend the weekend there together." The elderly lady looked around the store before whispering to Kurt confidentially. "Now if you ask me, I think those two young fellows are 'together' if you get my meaning; going out of town for the weekend and all."

"Really? You don't say." Finn's eyebrows went up in mock surprise and there was just a hint of sarcasm in his voice as the corner of his mouth went up slightly.

Kurt's head fell into the palm of his hand. "Oh, Lady Irony, thou art a cruel mistress." Kurt turned again to the elderly lady behind the counter. "Very well, a 10% discount then." As the sales lady began to scan the suit into the system, Kurt turned on his taller step-brother. "You owe me both a tank of gas _**and**_ for adjusting this tux for you. Next time try to arrange the tuxedo rental sooner."

"Can I give you a free drum lesson? That's about the same amount, isn't it?"

"Finn, do I look like the type of person that would be interested in playing such a barbaric instrument?"

"No, but you also don't look like the type of guy who can kick a football forty yards and score a field goal. Looks can fool you." Finn handed over the money for the tuxedo rental and collected the garment. "You know the saying. 'Don't judge a book by its corner.' "

"Cover." Kurt corrected.

Finn shrugged. "Whatever. You know what I meant."

"My, my, Finn, you really _**are**_ starting to use that grey matter nestled in your head. I'm impressed." Kurt said and he turned to leave the store. "Rachel's persistence in tutoring you seems to be paying off."

Finn smiled. "Yeah, I like _**phys. ed. **_too." He laughed and bolted out of the store, barely escaping Kurt's attempt to slap him on the shoulder.

**XXXXX**

As she turned the final corner to come to the hallway in which her locker was situated, Santana sighed in relief upon seeing no other students. Ever since Jacob's blog had been released almost a week ago, it had been a never ending series of dodging girlfriends, ex-girlfriends and would-be / soon-to-be girlfriends of the various men from her past. She had immensely enjoyed having and maintaining the reputation of a v-card collector until then; ever since, however, it had been exhausting to constantly be prepared for some form of attack and wondering from which direction it would come. With no one near her locker, however, she was free to dump out the books she wouldn't require for the weekend, grab her clothes and head home. _Thank God for Fridays._ She thought. _Never anything extra-curricular to do. _

Quickly spinning the correct combination on her lock, she shoved open the door and was just about to toss in her books when she noticed a bright pink piece of paper sitting on the floor of her locker. Glancing up and down the hallway she was standing in, she failed to notice anyone spying on her or acting suspiciously, so she assumed the note had been deposited there more than just a few minutes ago. Cautiously, she lifted the note from the bottom of the locker and regarded it. Nothing was written on the top, but a large, gold star sticker was placed there in lieu of a signature.

_Berry! _Santana thought with a shake of her head. What the hell was that munchkin sized diva up to now? She carefully unfolded the note and began to read.

_Nympho..._

_Understanding how important your reputation is to you I took the precaution of leaving you this note instead of trying to talk to you directly lest more misfortune befall you for associating with me outside of Glee club. I hope you'll forgive my impertinence but I spoke to Mike regarding Matt's contact information. It took a bit of convincing but I persuaded him to let you have it on his one condition: you have to ask him yourself. This is as far as I can help you, I'm afraid, but if I've learned anything from being in a somewhat stable relationship for two years it's that happiness should never be sacrificed for pride. Please, find the closure you seem to so desperately need and want. _

_Your friend (hopefully),_

_Dwarf_

Santana stared at the note, dumbfounded beyond belief. She couldn't believe Rachel had had the audacity to take this matter on herself and try to fix it, nor the nerve to reveal to Mike someone who was barely an acquaintance of hers, information told to her in confidence,. In typical Rachel Berry fashion, she had simply charged forward, trying to rebuild and re-establish bridges between people when none existed in the first place. There was no need for Rachel to intrude upon her affairs in this manner. She was doing just _**fine**_.

_Are you? _Her conscience asked silently. _Do you really believe that?_

"I don't know." Santana groaned aloud to herself in response. She chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment, lost in thought. What if she did ask Mike for it, and **_did _**get Matt's information. Could she follow through with it then? Could she actually sit down and converse maturely to the person whose heart she had needlessly shattered two years ago? And what if he didn't want to talk? Would she be able to burden the same kind of rejection from him that she had been so generous to impart?

_Think. I need to think about this. Really, truly, honestly, think about this. _She shoved the note in her book-bag, grabbed her coat, closed the door to her locker and headed towards the door of the school, forcing the issue out her thoughts. The last thing she needed right now were more complications in her life. She already had glee, Cheerios, school, college applications and family life to worry about. Simplicity was what she needed more than anything. Yes, simplicity and honesty.

_Just like Matt. _

She stopped in her tracks, reconsidering her options. Was there really any harm in acquiring Matt's new cell number and email address? It didn't mean she had to use it right away, or even at all if she so chose. She could decide for herself if (when) she wanted to address this issue that had been puzzling (agonizing) her for the last little while (two years). She was eighteen. She could handle things like an adult, couldn't she?

_Like you have up to now? _

_Fuck, you're annoying as hell, you know that? _She told her mind silently,

Sighing and cursing at the sudden conscientious side of her that had recently developed, she retrieved her cell phone from the side pocket of her book-bag and thumbed number three on her speed dial, waiting for an answer. After a couple of ringtones, the other side picked up. "Hello?"

"Brit? Hi, it's San. Listen, do you have Mike's address and phone number. I need to speak to him about something."

**XXXXX**

"Finn, would you stand still! You're shaking worse than an epileptic at a light show." Kurt moved around the chair Finn was standing on, trying to adjust the length of the pants, a box of pins on the table beside them and a tape measure around his neck.

"You'd be nervous too is someone was fixing clothes on you with pointy objects in his hand." Finn replied. He stood in the basement, or rather _**Kurt's **_basement as Finn always thought of it since the whole space had been exclusively Kurt's since before his Mom and he had moved in permanently. Around him were the various tools of the trade for a fashionista such as his step-brother; a large table for cutting and sorting various fabric and materials, a professional grade sewing machine (Finn wondered where the heck you found stuff like that, and figured Kurt probably ordered it online or something), a mannequin that allowed Kurt to model any clothing he decided to make, and about two separate shelf units full of bins that held the various odds and ends of a tailor's craft. Finn surveyed all of this while standing on a step-ladder, allowing Kurt to more comfortably adjust his suit for the gala ball the next night. Standing there with his arms extended straight out to either side and his legs spread slightly, he suddenly remembered to look down to ensure Kurt wasn't ready to pierce his 'package' with anything sharp and metallic.

"Relax, Finn. I only have a couple more measurements to take around your waist and inner leg. Obviously the person who rented this before you was a bit larger in the stomach area."

Finn swallowed nervously as Kurt pulled the fabric taught around the waist and secured it with another pin. "Just hurry up, Kurt. My arms are getting sore."

"Do you dress left or right?"

"Huh?"

Kurt tucked up the cuff on one leg of the pants and then looked up to where Finn was standing. "Left or right? How do you dress?"

"Uh, I don't know. Depends on the day. Sometimes I put my left leg in first, sometimes my right. I don't normally pay attention, man."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Finn, it's important to know which way you 'sit'. It affects how I make the adjustments."

Finn closed his eyes in frustration, taking another calming breath that seemed to have no effect. "Bro, seriously, I have no clue how I sit! I just kind of put pants on and if I need to sit, I slouch into the chair and – OOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHH!" Finn yelled out in agony as he doubled over slightly and then glared at his step-brother. "Watch where you put those, Versace! You just speared my-"

"For the record, Finn, you dress right." Kurt interrupted him with a fiendish smile as he pulled another pin out of his pin box and measured Finn's inseam. "Keep that in mind next time you're being fitted for a suit."

Finn fumed silently to himself and vowed to find a way to ensure Kurt suffered some form of misfortune once this whole ordeal was over.

* * *

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're greatly encouraged. Thanks for reading. :) **


	12. Chapter 12

**Happy New Year to all. In case you were wondering if I'm still doing this story, the answer is a resounding yes. However, having a week off for holidays and being committed to various family functions and engagements kept me from posting sooner. However, things are slowly getting back to normal in life, so it should be smooth sailing from here. ****Re: Finchel requests / lack of Finchel. They are definitely the main characters in the story, but not every scene and chapter can have them interacting. Life (and this story) just doesn't work that way. But in case you're wondering, more is definitely on the way. In the mean time, please enjoy. The auction is here. **

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 if necessary. **

* * *

Finn finished putting on his jacket and clip-on tie, completing the look his step-brother had so painstakingly worked to give him for the bachelor auction. Regarding himself in the mirror, he decided he didn't look too badly. Kurt had ensured all of the garments were correctly tailored to fit him like it was custom made. The vest and tie on the tux both had a darker black (if that were possible) swirling pattern through them that did just enough to make it look elegant and appealing. Nodding to himself, Finn walked across the room to collect the sheet music when suddenly his cell phone blared out _You're the One that I Want_ from the _Grease_ movie soundtrack. He answered the phone without even glancing at the caller I.D. screen. "Hey, Babe."

"Do you have your tux? Do you have your song picked out? You didn't eat too much this afternoon, did you? You remember the auction is tonight, right? You're not playing Xbox, are you?" Rachel's almost panicked voice came out on the other end.

"I'm fine Rach, and thanks for asking. It _is_ a beautiful day, isn't it? How are you?"

"FIIIIINNNNN!" Rachel almost wailed on the other end. "I'm being serious here."

"Me too, Rach. It would be nice to know that you care how I am before giving me the next round of twenty questions. I think we're up to round one hundred and six now."

Huffing with annoyance (believe it or not, it meant the _same thing_ as irritation. Who knew?) Rachel continued speaking. "My Dads just left to pick you up, and they're already running behind. If you're not ready to go yet, then please let me know so I can call them and –"

"Relax, Rach. I'm already in my tux and my song is picked out. All I need is my winter coat on and I can walk out the door when they get here. All right?"

"I wish I could be there tonight. I haven't seen your tux or anything yet."

What it was with women and formal wear was beyond him. For guys, the **_less_** clothes the better, but the female gender always seemed to have the opposite opinion. And shoes? Don't get him started on that one. _Women...who can understand their bass-ackwardness! _Finn thought silently. "I'll take a picture of myself in the mirror and text it to you, okay?" Finn rolled his eyes and shook his head even as he grinned at his girlfriend's squeal of delight.

"You better, Mr. Hudson. I love seeing you in formal wear and your wear it far too sporadically in my opinion."

Finn paused in collecting his wallet and keys, mentally running through his vocabulary to see if he could figure out that word. After a few seconds, he shrugged. "Since I have no idea what 'sporadically' means, I can't even say that I agree or disagree. Anyway, I should go. Love you."

"Love you too, Finn. And thanks again for agreeing to this. I appreciate it, and so do my Dads."

_Let's see if they appreciate it after I sing my song. _Finn thought to himself. "No prob." He said aloud. "Talk later." As soon as the connection was cut, Finn stood in front of the full length mirror in the hallway of his home and snapped a picture of himself in the tux. A few keystrokes later, he had successfully texted the photo to Rachel. Putting on his winter coat, he was surprised when he suddenly heard his phone blare out "Touchdown!" to indicate he had received a new text message. He looked at the screen.

* I LOVE the tux. Thank Kurt for me. *

_Geez, does no one think I can choose a tux for myself? _His phone sounded another "Touchdown!" and he glanced back at the screen.

* If you were coming to see ME tonight dressed like that, I'd say don't change a thing, but since you're going to the OGLERS, you might want to x.y.z.*

"Huh?" Finn glanced down at his pants and blushed furiously when he saw a sliver of his red boxer shorts through the zipper. Quickly zipping them in place, he texted back to Rachel. [Thanks 4 that]

**XXXXX**

As the SUV approached the parking lot at the Lima Convention Centre, Hiram looked back into the rear seat at their passenger. "Well, we're almost here. Just about ready to go, Finn?"

Taking a deep breath, Finn smiled with more confidence than he felt. "Of course."

"Thank you again for agreeing to this. Now no matter what happens, I don't want you to be disappointed in the bidding offers for you. No offense, but being as young as you are, you might not draw a large donation, but at least we'll have the ten promised bachelors for the night.

_Actually, I'll be disappointed in anything more than nothing. _Finn thought to himself, but instead he gave his lopsided grin and shrugged slightly. "No problem. I know I'm young and not really at the right age for most of the audience, but you never know what could happen."

Leroy inclined his head approvingly as he continued to drive. "That's a great attitude, Finn. Good job."

Hiram nodded. "I think you'll like this room we've got. It's a bit lavish, but Leroy and I felt it would be more suitable in order to put all the guests at ease. " Smiling one last time at Finn, Hiram then turned around and started discussing something with Leroy. Finn tried to pull out his IPod discee…discredib...without drawing too much attention to himself and thumbed the dictionary app he had found a few weeks ago. He typed in what he thought was the correct spelling for 'lavish' and quickly looked it up.

**Lavish: **Given or produced in abundance or to excess.

Finn shrugged. He wasn't quite sure what 'abundance' meant either, but he got the gist of what the word meant. He glanced at his girlfriend's fathers again and then again put his IPod away discreetly (_That's the word! Gotta try and remember that). _He was glad he had found that dictionary app for his IPod as he didn't want to reveal to Rachel's fathers just how limited his vocabulary truly was. He liked both of them well enough, but it was a rather formal relationship he had with Mr. and Mr. Berry (as he always thought of them) and he always felt he had to prove himself. Despite their protests and insistence he call them by their first names, he couldn't bring himself to do it, especially when they gave him that look every now and then that reminded him they knew _**exactly **_what was going through his mind in reference to their daughter. Finn thought it strange that the two men who raised Rachel to be everything he loved were the same two men who could veer his thoughts away from 'love' faster than a bullet.

Once parked, Finn followed Rachel's fathers into the back entrance and then into the main ball room of the Lima Convention Centre. Finn's mouth hung open in awe as he surveyed the scene in front of him. To call this large room lavish would be equal to calling the sun hot. The room was completely lined with pipe and drape, black curtains offering a more formal feel than normal. In the room stood a few of the early guests in various formal attire (all black and white, of course) but within the room were large decorative trees, massive flower arrangements, and overstuffed sofas and couches strewn in an odd pattern to allow some to sit comfortably. Streamers hung from the top of the ceiling, as well as large disco balls which fractured and scattered light patterns all over the walls and floor. On the far side of the room were the many tables which would be occupied once the main meal was served, and across from those on the far side of the wall was the stage where the band was in the process of preparing to be the evening's entertainment (_Awesome! That drummer has a DW birch set with new Zildjian cymbals. I've GOT to go check that out later._)In the middle was a large, unfurnished and uncarpeted wooden area which Finn suspected was meant to be the dance floor, a place he hoped to completely avoid for the evening if at all possible. From each of the dinner tables were strung black and white balloons filled with helium, floating high above and giving the entire look an airy sort of feel to things.

Finn swallowed and pulled slightly at the collar of his shirt, wondering if it was just nerves getting the better of him or if the collar had actually tightened up since he had tried it on yesterday in Dayton. Under his arm he carried the sheet music arrangement for his song, which Artie had handed over to him promptly at 9:30am that morning once Finn made it to at his place (didn't _**anybody **_in this town actually sleep in on the weekends anymore?). Excusing himself from Hiram and Leroy, he approached the bandleader, sheet-music folder secure in his arm. "Excuse me, Sir?"

The band leader, and elderly gentleman with graying hair, a round, clean-shaven face and an oddly bow-legged look, turned to regard him. "What can I do for you, son?"

Finn extended his hand, trying to be polite. "My name is Finn Hudson, Sir. I'm one of the, uh, bachelors, up for auction tonight. I was told you could help me with a song selection."

The gentleman smiled and shook Finn's hand. "Bond. Mr. James Bond.

Finn stared at him in shock. "Seriously? Your name is James Bond?"

Mr. Bond laughed at the comment and nodded. "It's humorous, I know, but I'm afraid my life isn't nearly as exciting as the famous literary character."

_Literary character? Whoa, James Bond is in _**books** _too? I gotta try and read those! Maybe the library has them, if they still let you borrow books that is. _Finn thought.

Mr. Bond continued. "And yes, if you have a big band arrangement for your song, we can probably help you. May I see it?"

_This is it, Finn. No turning back now. Give him this song, and it's all a done deal. _Smiling (again, with more confidence than he felt) Finn handed the sheet music over to the band leader, praying the gentleman in front of him hadn't heard of the song before. Of course, with his name being James Bond, Finn almost felt like a super-spy handing over classified information, which was kind of cool in itself. Mr. Bond opened up the folder and took a look at the conductor's score, humming the melody to himself a bit and then turning back to Finn. "This seems quite simple, actually. I don't think my band will have any trouble sight-reading it as we're all professionals. Are you sure you know all the words?"

_Oh yeah, I've only practiced singing this song since it's been released. _"Uh, yes Mr. Bond. I know the words inside and out."

Mr. Bond smiled at him. "Excellent. Count us in for musical accompaniment, then."

Finn walked away with smile on his face. People were going to be so surprised when he sang his song. And things would be even easier with Mr. and Mr. Berry since they already didn't expect him to draw a large bid. This evening was going to be just fine. He walked back over to where Mr. and Mr. Berry were engaged in a conversation with some others. As he approached, Hiram smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Finn, is everything okay? Is the band going to be able to help you?"

"Uh, yeah. Mr. Bond said it would be easy to play."

"Excellent." Hiram presented him with a glass of some kind of gold coloured liquid. "Drink up, Finn."

Finn took the glass and had a sip, quite surprised to suddenly feel the slight burn of alcohol on his tongue. "Whoa, I thought this was ginger ale or something."

Hiram laughed. "No, it's champagne. Normally Leroy and I wouldn't condone underage drinking, but this is a special occasion and you agreed to help us out at the last minute, which deserves a small reward in itself. Besides, I don't think one glass will hurt someone of your size. Just keep it on the down-low that you've been given this."

"And whatever you do, don't tell Rachel." Leroy told him quietly, having a sip of his own glass. "She would probably go ballistic to find out you've been given a glass, and by her fathers no less. Girl is more uptight about the law than I am, and I practice it every day."

Finn smiled easily as he had another sip of the strange drink. It was actually quite good now that he was accustomed to the taste. Truth be told, he never thought he'd even like champagne as it seemed like the type of drink someone stuck up in high society would order, or some celebrity to show-off how much money they had or how important they were. The bubbles fairly danced on his tongue, though, and he found he rather enjoyed the smoothness it delivered when he swallowed it down.

Guiding him by the arm, Hiram excused himself and Finn and guided him over to another table, around which were several other men in suits. "Finn, I'd like to introduce some of the other bachelors to you for this evening." He said in a low voice. "The owner and manager over at Planet Organic here in town, we have Gerry Kinder."

C_ool! Just like those chocolate eggs with the toys inside. _Finn thought as he extended his hand. The trim, fit man in his mid forties turned around turned around and regarded him with a grin, shaking his hand. "You must be Finn Hudson. My favourite customer comes in talking about you all the time."

Finn frowned. "Favourite customer?"

Hiram and Gerry both chuckled. "Rachel, my dear boy. You didn't think she kept that vegan diet going by only shopping at the local grocery store, did you? I see her in my store at least twice a week. Every time she's regaling me with some other tale of your escapades together; bowling, movies, dinners, your singing club at school. She can't seem to stop gushing about you."

"Well, you haven't seen her when she's mad at me, then." Finn replied, causing both Hiram and Gerry to laugh out loud at the comment. _What made me say that? _Finn wondered suddenly. He shrugged it off and had another small sip of the champagne in his hand.

"And over here, we have Dr. Klawse, a veterinarian with the animal shelter here in town.

_Claws as in animal fingernails? Or clause as in something legal on paper? Is his first name Santa? _Deciding not to voice his internal thoughts, Finn again offered his hand in greeting. "Sir, good to meet you."

A younger gentleman of about thirty nodded in greeting while shaking his hand. "And you, young man. I kept track of your school's football team when they went to State finals. You and your partner at quarterback both played exceptionally well. It's a shame you came up against such an unstoppable team from Cleveland."

Finn nodded in agreement. Coach Beiste had quickly realized at the beginning of the season that he and Sam had very different strengths and weaknesses as the quarterback, so would switch them out with each other depending on the type of plays required on the field. It was a brilliant move since it allowed them to work together instead of always jockeying against each other for the top position, and kept every other team guessing at which plays were going to come next. When he and Sam had come up with a handful of plays requiring both quarterbacks on the field (one as a quarterback, one as a replacement player), it really confused the other teams as they were always unsure from which one of them the ball was going to be thrown, or even if it would be thrown. The team from Cleveland, however, were so large and so good they may as well have been from one of the colleges. Even Coach Beiste had known by the third quarter that it wasn't going to end well for them. "Well, that we made it to State finals at all after so many years of not getting in the playoffs was an honour in itself. I was pretty happy even though we didn't win."

"I can understand that. Well, nice to meet you." Dr. Klawse shook his hand again. Hiram smiled even more widely as he guided Finn over to the third person at the table, Finn taking another drink of his champagne. He was _really_ enjoying it, and all the nerves he had had about this evening were slowly starting to slip away as he talked to each of the other bachelors in turn. There was Mr. Ball, the owner of a sporting goods store (_how appropriate_)_, _Mr. Hyde, an administrator in the police service (_don't tell him about the champagne, whatever you do!_), and Mr. Hung who worked in some manner in the entertainment industry (_with a name like that, I don't even WANT to know where or how_)_. _

"And over here." Hiram directed Finn over to the other table adjacent to where they'd been standing. "Is someone I think you already know."

Finn looked up and saw a very familiar face greet him, with brown, styled hair on top of his head and a warm smile. "Mr Schue?"

Will Schuester smiled genuinely and embraced his student in a manly hug. "Finn, great to see you here." He stepped back and eyed the all black tuxedo Finn had worn there. "And your tux agrees with you. Kurt?"

Finn smiled a bit sheepishly. "I asked for his help. Actually, I just asked if he could drive me to Dayton to rent one, but he pretty much took over once we were in his car."

Mr. Schuester nodded in approval. "Well, when it comes to clothes, it's probably not a bad idea. He does have an excellent eye for fashion. I might have to get him to help revamp my wardrobe once he's finished school and there's no longer a conflict of interest."

Finn took another sip of his champagne, noticing his glass was much lighter than before. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing with a police administrator over at the table beside him, though. "I didn't know you were a bachelor tonight too, Mr. Schue. What made you agree to be here?"

"Ever since the incidents between Kurt and Karofsky last year, I've felt guilty about not standing up more for student's rights. I figured since it took me so long to come to my senses, the least I could do was agree to participate when Mr. Berry approached me about tonight. How about you?"

Finn gave him a look and shrugged. "Rachel." Mr. Schue eyed him with that knowing grin that explained he completely understood what his student was saying.

"Finn?" Hiram called again from a couple tables over, waving the tall boy to where he was standing.

Finn waved slightly and then looked at Mr. Schuester. "I gotta go. I'm being hailed."

"Good luck tonight." Mr. Schuester replied, shaking his hand and moving over towards some of the other bachelors. Swallowing the last of his drink, Finn put his now empty champagne glass on one of the tables and continued over to where Mr. Berry was waving at him. Upon arrival, he looked up in shock to see a very familiar face.

"Finn, I don't know if you know who this gentleman is but..."

"Of course I know who he is! Morgan Rogers, quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals." Finn smiled as he eagerly shook hands with the gentleman facing him. The slighltly older man with ebony skin, short cropped hair and a clean shaven face smiled warmly at him as he returned the greeting. "I watch every one of your games, Mr. Rogers. You're unbelievable!"

"Uh, thank you...Finn, is it?" Upon Finn's excited nod, the quarterback continued. "You can call me Morgan. I understand from Hiram you aren't too shabby at football yourself."

_He just said I can call him Morgan! I can NOT believe I'm on a first-name basis with an NFL Superstar! Okay, calm down, Finn. Appear too eager, and he'll be scared away. Don't be a fan-boy. _"I helped my team reach state finals, but that's where it all fell apart for us."

Morgan nodded. "That happened to me in high school, too. One of the best and worst feelings ever is getting so far and then losing, but it makes you a better player and person in the end." Morgan looked over at someone at another table, then sighed. "I'm afraid I'm being beckoned over by my agent. You'd think he'd let me attend one of these events by myself these days, but it's never the case. Finn, I'd love to talk more football with you later, so feel free to come on over if your date lets you, okay?" With that, he clapped Finn on the shoulder and made his way towards another group of people halfway across the room.

Finn stood there, completely awestruck as Mr. Berry watched him, smile plastered on his face. Turning around, he regarded the smaller man. "Mr. Berry, that was one of the coolest moments of my life! Why didn't you tell me you guys knew Morgan Rogers?"

"Well, actually it's Leroy who knows his agent; handled a contract dispute for him or something along those lines. He asked if Morgan would be willing to be our 'star bachelor' for the night as more of a lark than anything, only to find out Morgan's younger sister is a lesbian, so Morgan jumped at the chance to help out. Lucky for us." Finn noticed Hiram's eyes suddenly widen in delight and recognition at the people behind him. "Carole, Burt, Kurt, Blaine. Fantastic that you're all here."

Finn turned suddenly and was stunned to see his entire family before him, all giving hugs and handshakes in return to Mr. Berry. Burt, Kurt and Blaine sported normal tuxedos, while his Mom was wrapped in a conservative strapped black dress with a sequined pattern swirling through it. "Mom? Burt?" Finn greeted them almost in questions as he returned each of their hugs. "What are you guys doing here? I didn't think you even knew about this event."

Carole smiled as she placed her hand over her heart. "Finn, you've got to be more open and honest with your family in regards to your social life. We had to find out from _**Kurt **_that you had agreed to this bachelor auction for the O.G.L.E.R.S. When we learned the truth of things, Burt and I just knew we _**had**_ to get tickets to enjoy the event.

"Huh? So it was Kurt who told you about this." Finn glowered at his step-brother, to which Kurt smirked in return, raised his drink to accept responsibility and mouthed a silent 'Gotcha!' to him. _Ooooh, I'm so gonna get him for this one! As soon as I figure out how, brother or not, he's going DOWN!_

"And I'm _**so proud **_of you for doing this, both in support of Rachel's parents and to show your acceptance and tolerance of those who live different lifestyles from the norm. Oh Finn," with that Carole started to tear up and pulled her son down for a tight hug, catching Finn completely off guard. "You're becoming such a responsible _**man **_so fast, Finn. I can't believe it's been eighteen years since I brought you home from the hospital. And now..." She stopped as her emotions took the better of her, and she stepped back, accepting Burt's handkerchief to dab at her eyes. "Sorry, I'm just so, so...oh, I can't even find the words."

Before Finn could respond, Blaine came forward and shook his hand as well. "I have to say, Finn, I'm deeply impressed and moved by your agreement to be a part of this, and your acceptance of alternative lifestyles. I know first-hand the cruelty and discrimination that comes from being different, but with people like you setting such an example of how we can all live together with each other, I know the future is going to be a better place for _**everyone**_, despite their sexual orientation."

Again, before he could say anything, Burt stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder. "Finn, if anyone had told me two years ago when we argued about this very subject that you would completely turn yourself around and become an advocate for gay rights, I probably wouldn't have believed them. But here you are, supporting yours and your girlfriend's family, and being the kind of leader we all knew you were capable of becoming. It's fantastic to see, and I wish I had been as courageous as you when I was your age. I'm honoured and privileged to call you my step-son. "

Wide eyed at all the compliments and praise he was receiving (and mindful of the supreme efforts Kurt was expending to _**not**_ laugh hysterically at the awkward situation he had successfully subjected him to) Finn nodded to everyone and smiled his crooked half-smile. "Well, yeah, anything for friends and family, right?"

Carole and Blaine nodded and Burt smiled at him. Hiram turned towards Finn and motioned with his head. "Finn, if you don't mind, I'd love to introduce everyone else here at the gala to the wonderful family of my daughter's boyfriend. And it might be very beneficial for you, Burt, as I think we have several well-to-do members of our new charity that have rather expensive luxury cars in their fleets. Think you'll be okay for just a few moments by yourself, Finn? I can come get you again before the auction starts."

"Uh, sure, no problem Mr. Berry."

"Gentlemen, and Madam, if you could all follow me for a few minutes." With that, Hiram led the party away, except for Kurt, who Finn grabbed by the elbow and pulled away just a few steps behind.

"What the hell, Bro? You had to tell the whole damn family I was doing this?"

Kurt smiled, patted Finn's cheek and then removed Finn's hand from his elbow. "It would be wise in the future to ensure your endeavours to become a true community leader don't accidentally inconvenience your step-brother for the entire day, **_Bro_**. Next time, phone ahead." With that, Kurt walked quickly to catch up with the others.

Finn blew out a breath noisily and he sat down in a nearby overstuffed chair, rubbing his hands over his face. He could not believe that his family had come to watch him get bid on like a piece of livestock at a farmer's auction. Really, was it that big a deal that he agreed to do this to help our Rachel and her fathers? Besides, he only agreed because Rachel was absolutely correct about him needing to make things up to her. Once this was done, they'd be back to being even and life could finally proceed as normal.

Still, despite his family's sudden appearance, the evening wasn't a complete write-off. After all, he got to meet _**the **_Morgan Rogers of the Cincinnati Bengals and was told to address him by _**his first name**__! _And Mr. Schuester was here too, which oddly enough made him feel much better about going through with this whole ordeal. Especially since he was going to get to sing the song he had selected and knew it was going to totally rock. Of course it was going to totally rock. The song rocked! And it was _**so **_offensive. That's what rocked about it. And in the process, he wouldn't even draw a bid. No one would want him.

Wait a minute.

_The song is offensive. _

Mr. Schuester was there.

_The song is offensive. _

Morgan Rogers was there.

_The song is offensive. _

His step-dad, step-brother and step-brother's boyfriend were there.

_The song is offensive. _

_**HIS**_ _**MOM WAS THERE!**_

_Well Finn, they say it's a physical impossibility to actually fuck yourself, but somehow you seem to have done it. Congratulations...DUMBASS!_

Burying his face in his hands, Finn drew in a sharp breath of air as the realization of what was _**really **_happening hit him like a Mack truck. This was about as deep a hole as Finn had ever dug for himself in his short life. With so many people looking up to him and expecting him to behave as a leader (W_hen did I even _**ask**_ for that outside of football and glee?_) he was having serious doubts about carrying through with his plan. He could probably still run over to Mr. Bond and ask him about other suitable selections. Maybe a shaken, not stirred martini would work to bribe him? The other choice was to simply off himself before going on stage. He certainly wouldn't be the first singer in history to do so.

As Finn sat there debating with himself about possible suicide options (or just letting Mr. and Mr. Berry dispose of him in whichever manner they deemed suitable) a bright pink movement caught his eye along with a familiar, grating, annoying voice. "Well tie me up and call me a rainbow flag, is that really the star quarterback of the McKinley High football team? Meow!"

_No, no, no. Not now. Please, for the love of Grilled Cheesus, fate can't possibly be this cruel! Please don't let that be who I think it is_. Finn's head turned slowly up to see a bald, bespectacled gentleman standing there in a pink and white tuxedo, leering at him creepily. His stomach sank down to his feet. "Uh, hi Mr. Ryerson."

"Finn, my dear boy, it is so _**pleasurable **_to see you again." Without invitation, Sandy Ryerson sat down next to him, a little too closely in Finn's opinion, and leaned over while gripping his forearm. "I don't believe our paths have crossed significantly since that memorable time when we did Accafellas together."

_Memorable? Even Mr. Schue didn't want you there, you freaky weirdo! _"Yeah, um, it's been a while, I guess."

"Well let me tell you, between my prosperous home based business, my consulting projects on the side and being assistant director of the community theatre, I have gotten almost _**no time**_ for socializing. I thought attending this event would be the perfect opportunity to see the best and brightest of the young Ohio...shall we say..._**elite**_?"

_I really don't like the way he just said 'elite'. _Finn thought silently as he tried to smile politely and nod, while forcing himself not to feel nauseated by the sight of Mr. Ryerson. Dealing with him the few times during his short stint working at Sheets N' Things had already provided a lifetime's worth of exposure to this man (and he used that term loosely).

Eyeing him in a very distressing manner, Mr. Ryerson continued to address him. "I have to say, my dear boy, that I have saved a rather _**large **_sum of money which I plan on donating to the charity by purchasing one of the fine young bachelors for the evening. I wasn't entirely sure which one would be worthy of spending the evening in my company, but now that I know you're on the auction list, that certainly changes my mind." With that, Mr. Ryerson squeezed Finn's knee, a move that shocked him so much he simply froze in place, unable to react. "I have to go right now to tie up some loose ends for a business transaction with some other members here tonight, but I'm sure we'll see _**much**_more of each other later. Toodles." Smiling in a manner that Finn never wanted to see on a dude (much less a guy Mr. Ryerson's age) the middle-aged man stood and then twiddled his fingers at him and carried on to the other guests.

Finn watched him walk away and then allowed the shivers he'd been feeling course through his body as his shoulders hunched up and he shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts. The man was completely scary in that 'not-sure-he's-_**not**_-a-child-molester' kind of way. Under no circumstances would he be able to survive this evening being on the arm of a creature like _that!_The mere thought that he could be purchased by Mr. Ryerson for the evening to be at his beck and call was not something Finn was willing to accept.

_Your plan is in place now, though, Big Guy. Just follow through. Follow through! _Yeah, he knew he agreed to help out Rachel, and yeah, he knew his Mom, his step-family, mentor and favourite football quarterback were all in attendance, along with Rachel's two fathers, but whatever hesitation he had had initially in disappointing the lot of them was outweighed a hundred fold by his complete and utter desire to _**not **_be in Mr. Ryerson's presence. _Everyone, please forgive me for what I'm about to do and I'm sorry if I embarrass any of you. But that song choice is going ahead. Full _**fucking**_ steam ahead! _

_

* * *

_

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged. Thanks for reading. :) **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N - Okay, the response and reviews I've been getting are just terrific (I love reading every single one of them), and after having multiple people tell me they're very curious about the song, yes, it _is_ finally here. Upon re-reading and posting this chapter, I actually wasn't sure if it would be offensive enough, but I'm trying to keep the essence of Glee going in this story, and since there is almost always some kind of correlation between the story itself and the song choice, I left it alone. If you're disappointed, I apologize. If you're overjoyed, please let me know in reviews. I know I have been very bad about mentioning them in my notes, but they are very appreciated. Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer - See Chapter 1 if necessary. **

* * *

"You okay, Finn?"

Finn raised his head from his hands and his eyes met those of Burt. Burt was standing, relaxed, holding a couple glasses of some drink, but his eyes expressed fatherly concern. A warm feeling came across Finn as the only other man that had ever given him that kind of look was Mr. Schuester. Finn tried to smile, but his lips could only form a frown. "No, not really."

Burt looked over to where Mr. Ryerson had gone, talking to various other guests in attendance. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Let me guess; Liberace over there was giving you the eye and made his intentions known to you."

Shocked at how quickly Burt had figured things out, Finn's face relaxed into relief as he stood up beside his step-father. "How'd you know?"

Burt shrugged as he turned to regard his step-son. "I've been around enough guys trying to hit on girls to know what all the moves are, Finn. The leers, the knee touching, the sitting too close. Just because someone is gay doesn't mean the signs are any different. Of course, unlike most women, you don't really have the option of slapping him across the face and walking away, do you?

Finn shook his head even as he sighed. "I've already agreed to the auction. I just think I'm going to hurl if I wind up his for the night, though."

"Maybe this will help." Burt said, handing Finn one of the glasses. "It's the fruit punch they're serving on the tables over there. Just be careful. It's laced with amaretto."

_Amaretto? Isn't that a type of ant-eater? _Finn wondered how and why anyone in their right mind would ever think to add an ingredient like that to a fruit punch, but then again, he also wondered why anyone would think to use raw egg in a salad dressing, and Caesar salad _was _pretty awesome. Shrugging, he took a gulp of the fruit punch and immediately smiled. "Wow, this stuff is fantastic! Thanks Burt."

Burt smiled as he clapped him on the arm in a fatherly gesture. "Should help to settle your nerves."

At that, the lights suddenly went a little dim and Mr. Berry's (Hiram's) voice came through on the P.A. system. "If I could have everyone's attention, the auction should be commencing in about 10 minutes. If everyone would be so kind as to make their way to their seats at the tables, and if I could please have all the bachelors come to the Green Room, that would be appreciated. Once again, please take your seats, we have about 10 minutes."

Finn thought his stomach would be roiling and turning with the same nerves that he'd had previously this afternoon, but for some reason, he felt oddly at peace with his situation. Maybe it was the calm before the storm, like the the feelings he got when he performed at Sectionals or Regionals with Glee club. _No, wait, that was because Rachel was drawing circles on the back of my hand. She's not here, and I still feel calm. And warm. Hmmm, maybe I'm just maturing or less prone to…what was it Rachel called it…oh yeah, performance anxiety. But if that's true, why do I still need to summon the mailman when Rachel… uh, better stop that line of thought right there. _

Burt turned towards him and extended his hand. "Good luck to you tonight, Finn. I hope for your sake you get to date a decent guy." Burt laughed slightly. "And trust me, that's something I only ever thought I'd say to Kurt."

"Yeah, I get that." Finn agreed, shaking his step-father's hand. "Thanks."

Finn moved off to find the Green Room, which really wasn't too hard to find since it was directly behind the stage setup where the band was placed. He stepped inside the room and took a quick look around. Remarkably, it wasn't all that different from the rooms Glee club had hunkered down in during their performance competitions, except that the decorations were a bit nicer and there was a actually a small table in the corner complete coffee, tea and another large bowl with the fruit punch mixture in it. _Awesome, more ant-eater drink! _As he was currently alone and knew the other bachelors for the evening would likely get there soon and drink the rest of the delicious punch, Finn spooned himself another glass of the liquid and downed it quickly, feeling the smooth liquid travel down to his stomach and bring another warm feeling to him. _This really is one of the best fruit punches I've ever had. Why don't they make this ant-eater stuff for school dances or assemblies? _After swallowing the first glass in about two or three gulps, he poured himself another just to be sure he had some before the other bachelor candidates drank the rest. Sipping his drink, Finn glanced at the list of bachelors provided on the table to look up where he landed in the presentation.

Number nine. Well, at least he wasn't first and wasn't dead last either, though he wasn't surprised that Morgan Rogers had the very last spot as the "Star Bachelor" of the evening.

While sipping the third glass of punch, Finn began considering the situation regarding Mr. Ryerson. He couldn't be completely sure his song choice would be enough to drive away someone with that kind of twisted mentality, nor could he be sure Mr. Ryerson would behave himself if he did in fact win Finn for the night. Spending the evening with someone who was gay was an idea Finn had gotten used to ever since Rachel had landed the bombshell on him Monday night; prior experience had taught him most gay and lesbian people were normal, decent human beings like everyone else, just different in what they considered attractive in a mate. But Mr. Ryerson was a living, breathing example of how one could not apply the rules of 'decent human being' to everyone; even Sue Sylvester was leaps and bounds ahead of him as a decent person, and that was saying something considering her reputation as a scary psycho bitch. Beyond the fact that Mr. Ryerson openly flaunted his sexuality in everyone's face were the stories Rachel had told him when she had unsuccessfully tried to hold the lead role in the school's version of _Cabaret _two years ago. He had wanted to punch the man in the face himself, and that was just based on what Rachel had told him (and they weren't even _dating _at that time). True, Rachel had a tendency to over-exaggerate, but he truly doubted she had done so in regards to Sandy Ryerson. The man was creepy with a capital C.

"Well, well, well. The rumours are true, then. McKinley High's own quarterback is on the auction block, is he?"

Finn instantly recognized the nasally, whinny, high voice coming from behind him. He closed his eyes in an effort to prevent tears of frustration from being shed. _Who up there hates me, Lord? Is this because of my misguided Grilled Cheesus episode last year, or was my lie to Rachel really so horrible it's deserving of this kind of punishment? Haven't I suffered enough? _Finn glanced over his shoulder, noticing a slightly out of shape, short, black bespectacled looking young man his own age and sporting a massive afro for his hair. Just when Finn was positive his night could _**not **_get worse, now this _**pest **_was after him. "Jacob." Finn deadpanned to him even as he shook his head. "What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in a library with a stack of Playboys and some Jergen's hand cream?"

Jacob adjusted his glasses nervously even as he stood facing him in what Finn was certain was a confrontational manner (like anything physical about this kid would actually scare Finn). "Insults are only effective when emotion is present. Nothing you say to me could possibly make me miss this event. When I heard through the synagogue that one of the jocks from McKinley High had agreed to participate in the bachelor auction for the O.G.L.E.R.S. I had to come see for myself and report on it for the school paper."

"Yeah, I've been brought up to speed on your style of 'reporting'. Like last week when you had to reveal every single person Santana slept with? Like it's anyone's business, least of all yours?"

"I'm sorry you don't share my enthusiasm for journalistic integrity, Finn. Sorry, let me dumb that phrase down for you jocks…that means you don't have the same concern regarding how the truth is reported, even when the public is asking for it. And nothing on my blog about Santana was a lie. I just report the news, I don't make it. Now I'm going to report about the wonderful evening you're about to have in Mr. Ryerson's company."

"And how can you be sure I'm going to be bought by Mr. Ryerson. There's a lot of other people here." Finn spoke with way more assuredness than he felt, but he didn't want to let the jerk have the satisfaction of seeing how nervous he really was about this.

"I'm sorry, Finn, but he already confirmed with me he'd be purchasing you. Apparently he's saved a large amount of money to bid on someone tonight, and I doubt you're going to get a better offer than his considering your age. After this evening, your reputation at school won't be worth a dime, and maybe Rachel will finally come to her senses and see me for the real man I am."

Even after all this time, and after all the ways Rachel had flatly denied having any sort of feelings or semblance of attraction to him, this guy was _**still**_ pining for Rachel? Finn rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner he was sure Jacob would notice. "Dude, seriously, she's brushed you off since before I even knew her. Can't you take a hint? Besides, _**she's **_the one who asked me to do this for her Dads.

"How interesting." Jacob replied as he immediately jotted down something on his notepad. Finn mentally slapped himself and buried his head back in his hands. _Way to go, you idiot. You just revealed something he can use on his blog or in the school paper. Just shut the fuck up, would you Finn? _"So it appears one half of the star quarterback team at school is under the complete control and influence of his girlfriend. That should add an excellent element to the story."

"Jacob, go away now before I seriously consider hoisting you up the school flagpole by your underwear."

"That's already been done to me and also why I don't wear underwear anymore." With that, Jacob walked away, leaving Finn completely horrified and cringing at the mental image he just received.

This really was a no-win situation. Finn had always heard of them and even started to study about them a little in history class (like General Custard and the Big Little Horn battle, or was it Little Big Horn?), but now he truly felt what it was like to be faced with the stark reality of it. His song choice was likely to offend everyone, including his family; news of his involvement in the auction was going to travel around the school faster than the speed of light once Jacob finished his story; Mr. Ryerson was going to win him for the night and make the entire evening miserable (if the encounters with him at Sheet-N-Things were any indication, at least) and Rachel would probably be ready to hire an assassin or something to make good on Artie's prediction involving his masculinity and a chainsaw.

"Hey, man," a deep voice came from the large, African-American athlete across from him as he sat down. "You don't look so hot."

Finn looked up and his eyes widened as he noticed Morgan Rogers sitting across from him. "Morgan. Hi." Finn shook his hand again then indicated with his head Jacob's retreating figure. "That geek over there, that's all. He's been trying to ruin me ever since I started dating the girl he's been after for like, ever, his whole life or something. Reports for the school paper."

Morgan pulled back a sip of beer and gave Finn an oddly familiar half-smile that he'd seen on himself in the mirror a few times. "Yeah, some guys can really get under your skin like that. For me it's one of the wide receivers on the Bengals. Guy is great at his position, but off the field he's a complete ass. Not much you can do about garbage like that." He eyed Finn evenly. "But if I may say, quarterback to quarterback, it doesn't strike me that that's what's bugging you."

Finn ran a hand through his hair in frustration and sat back in his seat. "I'm in a bit of a _Kobyashi Maru, _that's all."

"Come again?" Morgan asked, before his face suddenly lit up in recognition of the phrase. "Oh, you mean like in _Star Trek, _right? The no-win scenario Kirk talks about in the second movie?"

_This guy recognizes references from Star Trek! He is _**THE COOLEST**_ football player in the history of the game! _Finn nodded, smiling. "Glad you know what I mean." Finn fidgeted with his now empty punch glass, looking at the table separating the two of them. "Let's just say I planned something for tonight without really thinking everything through. Now I know it's going to embarrass a whole bunch of people and probably myself, too, but there's not much I can do about it as everything is already in motion. And even if I try to stop it, I'll still wind up on the losing end." Finn looked up at his NFL hero. "Any advice? Quarterback to quarterback?"

Morgan rubbed his chin with his hand, thinking for a moment. Finn wondered for a second if Morgan was going to respond to his question, when suddenly the older man shrugged and gave him a smirk. "Own it."

"Huh?"

Morgan smiled at him. "When I was in college, I called a play that didn't match up with what the Offensive Coordinator wanted. He was hoping I would carry the ball over the top of the pileup and get the first down we so desperately needed as we were only one yard out. But me, being young, stupid and hoping to increase my numbers for the year, decided to call a play requiring a pass into the end zone to give us a touchdown. When the play commenced, the opposition blitzed us and I was sacked twelve yards back from where we had been previously. I knew I had made the wrong choice, and everyone on the coaching staff was furious with me. But I knew if I tried to talk my way out of things or explain my logic, it was just gonna make me look worse. So, instead I sucked it up and simply admitted to the Offensive Coordinator that I called a different play to try and score a touchdown. Then I was benched for the rest of the game and the one following it. But at least in the end, I owned up to the bad call and accepted that maybe I hadn't chosen as wisely as I could have. And you know what? The play I had called was analyzed and adjusted by the Offensive Coordinator to be more protective of my position, and we used it about five or six games later to win a game and sneak into the playoffs." Morgan smiled at Finn again. "You said everything's in motion? Just do it. Yeah, people might get pissed at you, but hey, just accept that you'll have to apologize later. It'll be easier in the end."

Finn nodded in understanding, grinning himself at the little lecture he had just received. It did make perfect sense, really. There wasn't anything to be done about things now. Even his previous belief that he could pass this off as another dumb decision he made wasn't going to fly now that his Mom was here. She knew he sometimes made poor choices, but she also knew he wasn't so _**completely **_stupid as to intentionally choose a song that would guarantee offending people. And being his Mom, one way or another, he was sure she'd wring the entire truth out of him later anyway. But he didn't have another song prepared, and he didn't have any way of ensuring his family wouldn't hear it, nor did he have any way of ensuring Jacob wouldn't write something completely humiliating about him on his blog, nor did he have any way of ensuring he wouldn't be purchased by Mr. Ryerson. Nope, Morgan was right. All he could do was admit to his mistakes and own up to them. Such was life.

"Tell you what." Morgan interrupted his thoughts on the subject. "Why don't I get you a beer to make everything seem a little more endurable? I'm sure one drink wouldn't hurt a guy your size, right?"

The buzzing beginning to form in Finn's brain drowned out a tiny nagging feeling (and voice of reason that sounded suspiciously like Rachel's) that said maybe it wasn't the best idea to have another such drink, but being the male teenager he was, he ignored his internal warning, smiled and nodded up at his idol. "Thanks Morgan. That would be great."

Morgan grinned. "Anything for a fellow quarterback."

**XXXXX**

"You look stunning."

"Thank you. You look dashing yourself! I hope this goes okay."

"I'm sure it will. And I'm looking forward to meeting him."

"I think you'll like him. He's really wonderful."

"I'm sure he is. Where shall I meet you?"

"I'll watch from the far doorway by the kitchen and then meet you outside, but you don't have to bring him back too quickly. Thanks again for agreeing to do this."

"Anything to help out family."

**XXXXX**

Finn face palmed himself as Gerry Kinder began reciting the main monologue from _Hamlet_, the one starting with "To be or not to be…". It wasn't that Finn didn't like Shakespeare, it was just that he almost never understood it unless he was watching some movie adaptation of it (Rachel's date night taking him to the OSU theatre department production of _King Lear_ had been a complete disaster and he was almost thrown out for constantly whispering questions to her during the performance). Even when he watched the Mel Gibson version of _Hamlet_, it had been Rachel who had paused it a few times to ask if he understood what was happening (thank God she could tell when he was confused…it saved him having to admit it all the time). The only Shakespeare play he had been able to understand with almost no explanation was _Taming of the Shrew_, and he had pumped his fist in the air when it was actually _he_who had to explain to Rachel the true meaning of having tongue in someone's 'tail'. He loved reliving the memory since Rachel had blushed more furiously than anytime before and gone very quiet after his whispered explanation; he felt like a total stud _**and **_somewhat smart considering he was actually explaining something in Shakespeare to his super-smart girlfriend.

What really annoyed Finn right now though was the dizzy feeling he was experiencing in his mind. He had no idea how one glass of champagne and one beer could make him feel almost drunk, and he had tried to get rid of the feeling by having another glass of that awesome ant-eater fruit punch, but still it persisted. Fortunately, he didn't feel nauseous, so he decided if he just downed a cup of coffee that maybe that would help.

Suddenly he heard some whistles and polite general applause from the audience, so he looked out from the green room and noticed Mr. Kinder being led off stage and towards another smiling gentleman in a bow-tie tuxedo. He poured the coffee from the table and began adding sugar as Morgan sat there, shaking his head. "Man, I can't believe the stiffness in this crowd. Someone please inject some life into these people. It's like they're all stone statues or something."

Finn shrugged as he took a gulp of his coffee, his head still feeling fuzzy. So far the only noticeable response from the crowd had been for Mr. Schuester's rendition of _Save the Last Dance for Me _(his teacher could definitely rock Michael Buble), and even that hadn't drawn as large a reaction as Finn would have thought. "It's Lima. This town wouldn't know a party if it kicked them in the ass."

Morgan smiled easily at him as he sipped from his beer. "Well, guess you're gonna have to go out there and wow them, aren't you?"

"Finn?" Mr. Berry's (Leroy) head came out from behind the curtain of the green room. "You're up. Let's go see how much you fetch." With that, his head disappeared to resume his previous duties.

Finn gulped down the last of his coffee, his eyes wide in anticipation. _This is it, Finn. It all comes down to this song performance. _He took in a big breath of air trying to settle his nerves and clear away the dizziness. Why had that not gone away yet? Shit, he'd drunk more at Puck's Halo marathon last week and wasn't feeling like this!

Morgan came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder in a brotherly manner. "Like I said, Finn, own your mistake. Hell, have fun with it, even. It probably isn't going to be any worse than you initially believe anyway."

"I hope you're right, Morgan." Finn replied. Morgan help up his fist, and Finn smiled and bumped it. Man, it felt so _**good**_ to be on a friendship basis with one of his idols.

"Knock 'em dead, Kid." Morgan said, as he pushed Finn out of the curtain before Finn even knew what was happening. As he walked up slowly to the steps of the stage (were they actually veering from side to side a little?) he heard Mr. Berry (Hiram) start introducing him.

"Next on our list for tonight is a young man who in his young eighteen years has amassed quite a list of accomplishments. He is one half of the star quarterback team for McKinley High School and helped them reach Ohio State Football Finals for the first time in fourteen years. He is also the co-captain and the male lead of his school's Glee club, and was _**instrumental**_ (that pun received a few groans from the audience) in helping them win three Sectional titles, one Regional title and gave them an appearance at the National Show Choir Championship last year in New York City. In addition, he captains his school's basketball team and is employed part-time at the new music store _**Fortissimo **_as both a drum instructor and salesman. " Hiram looked up at the audience with a smile. "Yes, he sings _**and **_plays drums, so trust me, he's living proof musicians canbe drummers and vice versa." (Again, there were a few laughs and chuckles from the audience).

Finn began to blush. The way Mr. Berry was describing him, listing everything he either had done or was currently doing, made him practically sound like a star worthy of a television show or something. _Must be Rachel who wrote this. _He reasoned silently to himself. _This is definitely her style_.

"He's a wonderful young man who I've had the pleasure of getting to know through my daughter, with whom he goes to school. Please, won't you welcome, ladies and gentlemen, FINN HUDSON!"

General applause filled the room and Finn swallowed as he came up on stage and walked over to Mr. Berry carefully. Hiram shook his hand enthusiastically while smiling, then handed him the microphone. Finn looked out to the audience and took a deep breath before proceeding. "Wow, thanks Mr. Berry. Hope everyone here is doing well. Uh…I know I have to show you some kind of talent I possess, so I'll sing because, honestly, Shakespeare usually just confuses me and even my glee club doesn't like it when I dance." That received some more laughs and a few cheers from the audience, so Finn nervously walked over to Mr. Bond. "Ready?"

Mr. Bond smiled as he lifted his conductor's wand. "Ready when you are, Finn."

_Okay, you can do this. Like Morgan said, 'OWN IT!' _Finn nodded and he heard the band start up with the familiar introduction to the song. Closing his eyes and trying unsuccessfully to will the dizziness running through him out of his mind and body, he brought the microphone up on cue and began to sing.

_I hit the bottle in the morning in the summer time  
I quit my job 'cause it gets in the way  
I find a party by the ocean, buy the cheapest wine  
Called up my friends to come and waste the day  
I got a dime bag, corduroys, colored sleeves  
And a bindle and some LSD  
Now I'm just lookin' for a girl to meet  
To help me to forget my name_

_I could spend my lifetime gettin' high_  
_Never wanna live in a suit and tie_  
_Most of us are just livin' a lie_  
_Tryin' to get fucked up every night_

_I'm gettin' drunk all night_  
_Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all day_  
_Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all night_  
_I'm sorry but I have to say_  
_I'm too drunk to fuck_

For the first time since the song started, Finn glanced around at the people beside him. Mr. Bond was smiling slightly while directing the band, alternatively looking at the instrumentalists and his conductor's score. _Well, he seems okay with it so far. _Finn moved his eyes to see Mr. and Mr. Berry off to the side of the stage, but then quickly looked away. In that brief glance, he could tell they were regarding him with open mouths and wide eyes of complete and utter shock. Just off centre from the right of the stage were the members of his family, all three of them with horrified expressions plastered on their faces, except for Blaine, who was sporting a wide grin, glint in his eye and keeping time with his right hand. As Finn quickly looked around to the other people in front of the stage, he noticed a small crowd of the younger members actually starting to sway and dance to the music or running over to the those sitting down and pulling them up to dance. He decided this would be the safest group to sing the next part of the song to.

_Now the party was jumpin' and the girls were fine_  
_With the lipstick summer glaze_  
_I got so many women comin' after me_  
_I put some pussy on layaway_  
_I was smoked out, tore up, drunk as fuck_  
_And I wouldn't wanna change a thing_  
_Young and dumb and full of cum_  
_With a sugar-loaded candy cane_

_I could spend my lifetime gettin' high_  
_Never wanna live in a suit and tie_  
_Most of us are just livin' a lie_  
_Tryin' to get fucked up every night_

_I'm gettin' drunk all night_  
_Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all day_  
_Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all night_  
_Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all day_  
_Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all night_  
_Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all day_  
_Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all night_  
_I'm sorry but I have to say_  
_I'm too drunk to fuck you!_  
_Aw yeah! I'm too drunk to fuck you!_

During the short break in the lyrics, Finn started smiling at the various members of the crowd in front of him, which was getting continuously larger and larger as more people were joining the main group on the dance floor. Various people were smiling, cheering, moving in time to the music and he even received a few wolf whistles (whether from the girls or the guys, he didn't know or care at the moment. He was suddenly having too much fun). He raised his arm overhead and started waving in to the rhythm of the song, and the audience began doing the exact same thing, mimicking his action in mirror effect. The guitar solo finished and for a few bars there was only the steady beat of the drums, which Finn took the chance to glance at the drummer and smile as he air drummed along. When the cue came in the song, Finn put the microphone in front of him and began to sing again with every ounce of energy he had left.

_I can't eat, can't sleep and I'm bored as fuck  
And the girl I want just walked away  
She just found out I'm too drunk to fuck  
It looks like I'm not gettin' laid  
_

_I could spend my lifetime gettin' high  
Never wanna live in a suit and tie  
Most of us are just livin' a lie  
Tryin' to get fucked up every night_

Much to his surprise and amusement, the crowd in front of the stage had grown to include almost everyone in the audience with the younger men and women crowding the front of the stage. All of them were dancing away and enjoying the song, and as he started on the chorus, he could actually hear most of them join with him in singing the lyrics. His smile widened even further.

_I'm gettin' drunk all night  
Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all day  
Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all night  
Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all day  
_

The audience in front of the stage were so loud and verbal in their singing, Finn did the corniest thing he could think of and held the microphone out to the crowd, allowing them to sing the next part of the chorus, to which they responded enthusiastically.

_Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all night  
Oh, I'm gettin' drunk all day  
I'm gettin' drunk all night  
I'm sorry but I have to say  
I'm too drunk to fuck you!  
_

Finn grabbed the microphone back and continued singing, spinning on his feet in time to the song and then dropping to his knees as he allowed the energy of the music and his performance to spring him through the last part.

_Yeah! No, too drunk to fuck you, ooh!  
I'm too drunk to fuck you, somebody, help me!  
Lord have mercy, somebody help me  
I can't fuckin' breathe, I'm too drunk to fuck!*_

The song ended and Finn was greeted with an enormous roar of approval from the crowd in front of him, all of them clapping, whistling, jumping and some just plain screaming in appreciation for his performance. He smiled as he slowly got back to his feet, the adrenaline running through him in the same manner that the performance at Sectionals before Christmas had caused. Only this time, he didn't have to share the applause with twelve other singers. This time, he was the only vocalist and he reveled in the massive, positive response he was receiving. _**THIS**_ is what Rachel was addicted to!_ Now I _**get **_it in a way I never have before. _Finn thought. _All the applause and attention pointed at one person. This is _**AWESOME!**

Wait a minute.

Wasn't this the exact opposite reaction to what he'd originally planned?

Finn looked down into the crowd a bit more carefully. He guessed there were at least six or seven young gentlemen at the front of the stage with a hungry look in their eyes as they regarded him. Over to the left side was a widely grinning Sandy Ryerson, who looked every inch the predatory creature Finn had imagined him to be during their previous conversation. Although he kept his smile in place on stage, inside his stomach nearly turned as the realization of what was happening hit him like a football to the head. _They loved me. They loved the song. They loved the show. You haven't offended anyone. Instead, you made even more of them want to _**BID**_ on you. _

For the first time in his life, he truly understood the term 'karma'. This is exactly what karma was; a cruel, unrelenting, mean-spirited, heartless, punishing, revenge ridden _**BITCH**_!

_Oh, God! _Finn thought to himself. _I'm so fucking toast! _

_

* * *

_

***Lyrics are from "Too Drunk", written and performed by Buckcherry. **

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged! :) **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N - Alright, here' the actual bidding process. I had this written out almost fully before I published the last chapter, so I figured there was no point in waiting to post it since I didn't feel it needed a lot of editing (for once). Hope everyone enjoys it, and thank you again for all the kind words in the reviews...they're like a drug and I love reading what people think of the story. Please enjoy. **

**Disclaimer - See Chapter 1 if necessary.**

_

* * *

_

What the hell are you waiting for?

_Don't rush me, okay! I'm here, aren't I? _

_Yes, but then again, you've been here for ten minutes and haven't moved from behind the wheel of the car. _

_I'm just psyching myself up for this. What if he changed his mind? What if he doesn't give me the info? What if he blows me off? What if…_

_What if! What if! What if! Fuck, you sound like a scared little girl trying to worm her way out of things. If it terrifies you so much, start the car and let's get the fuck out of dodge, okay?_

_Shut it! I'm NOT scared. Just…_

_JUST WHAT! _

_Okay, I'm getting out of the car now. _

_About fucking time! _

Santana took a deep breath and opened the door to her mom's car, which she had borrowed for the drive across town, then quickly got out before slamming the door closed and turning towards the house where Mike Chang and his family lived. Ever since Brittany had given her Mike's address yesterday, she had warred with herself about whether or not she really wanted to follow through with the whole notion of reconciliation. She had been getting by fine for the last two years, but that nagging, conscientious side of her just wouldn't leave her alone. Pulling her coat around herself a little tighter, she slowly walked the steps up to Mike's house, each step on the sidewalk seeming to click loudly as she willed her heel-clad feet to keep moving forward. Once at the door, she brought her hand up to knock, but her arm froze half-way through the motion.

_Do it! Do it before you chicken out! You've been wondering for two years, so get it the fuck over with!_

Before she over-analyzed the whole situation again, she followed through with her previous motion and knocked loudly on the door, then decided to ring the doorbell for good measure. She suddenly heard a loud 'THUMP' from inside and a couple of muffled voices that seemed to be arguing between each other. Just before the door opened, she heard a groan of exasperation (definitely a male voice) and a light, lilting laugh in the background (definitely female). The door swung open wildly to reveal Mike Chang standing there in jeans, barefoot and with a button shirt that was halfway open down his chest. "I swear if this is Avon or the Jehovah's…oh…Santana. Hi. Uh…" he looked down at himself and quickly began to do up more buttons, blushing furiously. "What uh, what can I-"

"Hi, Mike." Santana decided the doorframe was suddenly quite and interesting thing to look at. "Sorry. I didn't mean to catch you at a-"

"Mike! Invite her into the foyer, at least." Santana heard Tina's voice echo from the living room. "It's getting cold out there and there's a draft!"

Mike scowled at his girlfriend of just over a year but then his features changed back into neutral amiability. "Yeah, Tina's right. Come on in."

"Are you sure I'm not, um, interrupting something?"

"Of course you are!" Tina said unabashedly, coming around the corner from the living room. Her own black shirt was buttoned up crookedly, and her hair was mussed and her lips swollen, but she didn't look even slightly ashamed of the activities both them were engaged in. "But what's done is done, so come on in and let's at least talk in a warm house."

Santana nodded and stepped inside of Mike's house past the tall Asian boy who moved aside for her and then closed the door behind. She hadn't ever been to Mike's house; in fact, she hadn't really spent time with Mike since she had dated Matt, the last such event over at Matt's old house when Matt had invited them both over for a movie night consisting of Jet Li and Jackie Chan action flicks. It had been tremendously entertaining watching Mike and her then boyfriend ooohing and aahhhing with every impossible stunt the two martial artists used in their films, all while eating Chinese food and drinking some strange Chinese beer Mike had 'borrowed' from his father's private stash. _I wish I had more memories like that. _Santana thought with a touch of remorse.

"So how are you, San?" Tina said drawing her into a tight hug she didn't expect in the slightest.

"Uh, fine, I guess." She said, returning the hug with wide eyes. "I just…just needed to ask Mike something."

Tina nodded and smiled, then turned to her boyfriend and playfully slapped him on the chest with the back of her hand. "Told you she would!"

"Ow!" Mike rubbed the spot on his pectoral muscle where his girlfriend had hit him. "Watch those hands of yours, would you? I don't want black and blue nails suddenly imbedded in my chest."

"You didn't seem to have any problems with my nails on your chest a few minutes ago." Tina replied saucily.

Mike practically glared at Tina, to which she gave a mischievous smirk. Mike opened his mouth to say something, but Tina cut him off before he could utter a sound and motioned with her head towards the Latino cheerleader. "Guest in the hallway, remember?"

Drawing himself to his full height and regarding his girlfriend in an unimpressed manner, he turned towards Santana and blew out a breath. "Let me guess. Matt's contact info?"

Santana was not normally the type of person to be nervous or apprehensive as she always just went ahead and started doing things; if there were consequences to be had by doing so, she simply shrugged and dealt with them as they occurred. But looking up into Mike's stony face to continue through with her request for Matt's info, she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach and the muscles around her chest tighten slightly. "I…I really would like the contact info, Mike. I made a really serious mistake two years ago, and at the very least I'd like to apologize to Matt."

Mike regarded her evenly, arms crossed and with a touch of steel in his eyes and voice. "I do hope you appreciate the risk I'm taking here, Santana. Rachel's vouched for you twice over now, and Tina believes that I should let Matt decide whether he wants to start communicating with you again. But I'm leery about it all since you already bruised him."

"Mike, I -"

"No, really _listen_ this time, Santana. Bruised isn't even the right word. You _**butchered **_his heart once before. He kept a good show up at school until he transferred, but I was there on the evenings and weekends. He was some kind of hot mess, San. I want your assurance that this _**will not **_be a repeat performance. Whatever happens, treat him with the respect he deserves. He may not have said it, but he loved you. Like, _**love **_loved you."

There it was. Santana finally had the confirmation she had never had before. Yes, Matt's feelings really **_had_** gone as deep for her as hers had for him. How that was possible in the four short months they had been together, she didn't know, but it was certainly mutual on both sides. Nodding and wiping away a touch of moisture which was collecting at the corner of her eye, she returned Mike's serious gaze. "I promise. I promise I won't do the same thing to him a second time. I just…need to clear this up with him. No matter what happens."

Mike stared at Santana a little longer, likely trying to calculate the odds that she was telling the truth, but suddenly Tina interrupted their conversation with a sharp voice. "Go on! What are you waiting for? She promised."

Rolling his eyes, Mike turned towards Tina beside him. "Have you always been so impatient?"

"Yes." Tina responded quickly. "Santana came here and asked you directly, which is what you said you were waiting for. You even have it written out and ready in your pocket because you suspected she would be by sometime this weekend. It's happened, she's asked, you said your piece, so let's skip the rest of the drama and jump to the part where you just give her the info. Then Santana can get to work on making amends and you and I can enjoy what's left of our 'alone' time. Right? Right!"

Mike shook his head in defeat, reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded half-piece of paper. He handed it to Santana and smiled slightly. "For the record, I _**did**_ think you'd be by. Of course, I figured it would be sometime tomorrow afternoon, but oh well." He regarded her earnestly. "Please be careful with it, and with him, okay?"

Santana nodded again, taking the paper from his hand. "Thank you, Mike. For everything." She slipped the paper into her jacket pocket, nodded to Tina, then quickly turned around, exiting the house and heading back towards her mom's car. Once she climbed into the front seat behind the wheel and closed the door, she pulled out the paper again and read it to try and memorize the email address.

willdance4foodandglee(at)...

_Well, that shouldn't be hard to remember. _Santana thought, smiling a little to herself at the knowledge that Matt's sense of humour hadn't changed since she had last spoken to him. She started the ignition and drove away, a feeling of warmth and hope entering into her heart for the first time in a long while.

_Wasn't so hard, now, was it Princess? _

_Oh, would you just SHUT UP!_

**XXXXX**

Finn stared, astounded, at the crowd in front of him as they were all cheering and screaming his name in appreciation of his performance. Although he had tried to sing an offensive song and turn people off the idea of bidding for him, in actuality he had kicked the crowd into high gear from the mild-mannered response they had been giving the bachelors thus far. He had stopped singing almost a minute ago and the crowd was still applauding. Normally he would have found this kind of response to his showmanship fantastic had it not been for the hungry, lustful stares he was now receiving from several of the attendees at the O.G.L.E.R.S. function.

Mr. Berry (Hiram) stepped up the microphone at the MC table, wiping sweat off his brow and regarding Finn in a strange manner; almost as if he couldn't decide whether to run up and thank him for the response he got from his song choice, or tie a noose around his neck and string him up in the rafters of the convention room. Nervously, Finn returned the gaze, but Mr. Berry after a moment pulled up the microphone and spoke with a smile. "Without a doubt, the performance of the evening, wasn't it folks?" Again, the crowd applauded, and a few even started a chant of "Hudson! Hudson! Hudson!" Finn smiled at the audience externally while internally wondering just how the hell things had backfired on him so dramatically. Mr. Berry continued speaking over the crowd. "So, without further ado, let's open the bidding. Normally we'd start at a thousand, but I think we'll jump up to fifteen hundred based on that show he just gave us. Do I hear fifteen hundred?"

"Fifteen hundred!" One gentleman responded from somewhere Finn couldn't make out.

"Seventeen hundred!" Another man called out from in front of the stage without prompting.

"Two thousand!" Mr. Ryerson cried out with a wicked open mouthed grin across his face.

"Two thousand, over here for our flamingo looking friend." Mr. Berry pointed at Sandy Ryerson and Finn fidgeted nervously with the cuff of his tuxedo jacket, praying that someone else would ante up and save him from an evening of sheer torture. "Do I hear twenty two hundred?"

"Twenty two hundred!" Another gentleman indicated from beside the stage.

"Twenty four hundred!" Sandy Ryerson cried out, the smile still on his face as he eyed Finn.

"Twenty six hundred." An elderly lady said from one of the plush sofas beyond the dance floor. Finn would have been a little more interested in that offer if it had been a younger lady, but he reasoned he could manage to converse with someone old. _Just ask them lots of questions about the fifties and stuff, you'll be fine. _At least she was female.

"Twenty Eight Hundred." Another gentleman Finn couldn't see called out.

"Three thousand!" Sandy Ryerson yelled before Mr. Berry could ask for another bid.

"Three Thousand for the gentleman in the pink tuxedo." Mr. Berry indicated to Mr. Ryerson again. "Three Thousand going once…"

"Thirty two hundred." Another voice came from somewhere in the audience. Finn wasn't sure who that was, but was thankful for it. Anything or anyone saving him from Sandy Ryerson's company was more than welcome in his books. Besides, the amount Mr. Schuester went for was only three hundred more, so he was pretty happy to be close to his teacher's offer.

"Thirty _five _hundred!" Sandy Ryerson yelled, the echo of which could be heard over some astonished whispers and murmurs in the audience.

Mr. Berry pushed his glasses up his nose, seemingly surprised at the large sum being offered for his daughter's boyfriend. He regarded Finn with eyes that seemed to hold the question _How the hell did you manage this? _Finn shrugged in response, kind of at a loss himself in regards to Sandy's persistence.

Hiram took a breath and returned to the microphone. "That equals the top amount we've had tonight, ladies and gentlemen. Anyone want to break the record? I have thirty five hundred for this strapping young lad. Thirty five hundred going once…"

Finn could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead as the countdown was on. If anyone else was going to bid on him, he reasoned they had about six or seven seconds to do so, but upon glancing in the audience, it didn't look like anyone was willing to exceed the amount Mr. Ryerson had set. Everyone's hands were either firmly attached to a drink, hanging limply by their sides, crossed over chests or stuffed in pockets.

"Thirty five hundred going twice…"

_Awwww, shit! This night is gonna completely suck!_ Well, he supposed karma had had the last laugh after all. Everything he had planned for the evening had gone right down the drain. His song choice, instead of offending, simply encouraged more bidders. His date was going to creep him out for the next five or six hours easily, and he was gonna get it about six different ways from Sunday once he returned home to his family. This whole night was a complete write off.

"Four thousand!"

Hiram held up his hand and he continued to sport a bewildered smile. "Wow! Ladies and gentlemen, we have our top bid of the night! Before we continue the bidding, let's put our hands together for our top earner so far, Finn Hudson. A round of applause please for this…robust, talented young man."

Finn dizzily bowed as the audience again cheered and hollered for him. Slowly rising from his bent over position, he scanned the audience quickly for his saviour and caught sight of him at the far right side of the stage just as he was lowering his hand. He was a middle-aged gentleman who was obviously balding but had cropped what remained of his hair very short so that just stubble of it was left on top of his head and the back of his neck. His nose was a bit large, but his eyes gave Finn the impression of someone who was gentle, calm and content in his life. Regardless of the impression he gave, however, Finn was certain that this gentleman's company would be _**much **_more enjoyable than Mr. Ryerson's.

Without prompting, Sandy Ryerson cried out desperately, jumping up and waving his arm in the air. "Forty five hundred!"

_Geez, Mr. Ryerson must have saved a bundle! Why can't he use it on Morgan? _Finn bit the inside of his lip nervously, wondering if he was doomed to spend the evening in Mr. Ryerson's company after all. No one had come close to a price like that, and judging by the looks of sheer astonishment coming from both Mr. and Mr. Berry and all of his family members, none of them thought this amount would be surpassed. Swallowing, Finn straightened his shoulders and decided to accept his fate. He had put himself here originally by lying to Rachel. If spending the night in Sandy's company meant he could wipe the slate clean with her and start fresh, it would, in the long, long run, be more than worth it.

Mr. Berry (Hiram) spoke again. "Forty Five Hundred going once. Forty Five Hundred going-"

"Five thousand." The middle-aged, large nosed gentleman said nonchalantly, taking a sip of his drink afterwards while the entire crowd collectively gasped in shock.

Finn wasn't sure how much more of this kind of suspense he could take. His stomach was doing flips and turns worse than a rollercoaster ride, and the fact that he still felt oddly drunk wasn't helping things that much. And on top of that, now he felt like he really needed to use the bathroom. He watched as Mr. Berry turned from his microphone towards the new gentleman, then saw Rachel's 'Daddy' briefly smile before his face became an unreadable mask. He addressed the crowd from behind his microphone stand. "Five thousand, my friends. Five thousand for our eligible young bachelor Finn Hudson. This will make him the most valuable commodity so far tonight, and our star bachelor will have his work cut out for him to match this amount. So, let's see if this is it. Five thousand, going once…"

Keeping one eye on the crowd, and one specifically on Sandy Ryerson, Finn worriedly watched to see if anyone was going to overtake the already insane bid for him. Everyone in the audience seemed to either be looking at Mr. Ryerson or at the large nosed, balding gentleman who had a small smile on his face while he continued to sip his drink. Just five more seconds and he'd be home free.

"Five thousand going twice." Mr. Berry announced into the microphone.

Finn now turned to eye Mr. Ryerson completely, holding his breath and squeezing his hands into fists, trying not to explode with the tension building inside of him. Mr. Ryerson's eyes were wide and he seemed to be almost panting through his mouth, but as the seconds ticked by, Finn grew increasingly confident that he had, indeed, been saved from a tortuous night in the man's presence. At last, Mr. Ryerson closed his eyes and bowed his head in defeat.

"Sold for Five Thousand!" Mr. Berry announced loudly.

"YEESSSS!" Finn whooped and pumped his fist in the air in victory, releasing all the tension that had built up over the course of that long bidding session. Mr. Berry (Hiram) looked at him somewhat bemusedly as he leaned in towards the microphone again. "I think Mr. Hudson just 'rocked' the bidding in more ways than one. Let's give him another big round of applause, please." Once again the group cheered, clapped and whistled in approval, while the other Mr. Berry (Leroy) came over to guide Finn offstage.

As they walked, Leroy offered his hand to Finn for a manly handshake, which the teenager gladly took. Once their hands were clasped, Leroy pulled him in close to speak to him over the noise of the audience. "You just about gave me a heart attack when I heard those song lyrics, Finn, but the reaction of the crowd speaks for itself. I've only ever seen Rachel read a crowd as well as you just have tonight. Fantastic work."

_Oh, trust me; she's _**way **_better at reading a crowd than I am. _Finn kept his silent thoughts just that; silent. This was definitely one time when honesty regarding his song selection _was not _the best policy. "Thank you very much. I really take it as a compliment to compare me to Rachel, Mr. Berry. She's always been my favourite in glee club, even before we dated."

Leroy smiled again and embraced him across the shoulders in an almost fatherly gesture of affection. "Well, let's introduce you to your date."

Finn's joy regarding the entire bidding procedure began to wane slightly once he was reminded he still had the duties and obligations of being another man's date for the night, but he reminded himself quickly that it was only for one night. _It's not Mr. Ryerson, so I can NOT complain. Let's just make the best of this situation. Who knows, I might even like the guy...as a guy... not _**like**_ like, like in a Kurt and Blaine 'like' way. And damnit, why the hell am I _**still **_so dizzy? _

Mr Berry led him over to the stage steps, where Finn saw the younger bald gentleman for the first time. He stood about five feet, eight inches or so, Finn guessed, and had a wiry build. His brown eyes were so dark they almost seemed black, but he had what Finn assumed would be a likeable smile (if he were into dudes) and a confidence in the way he carried himself which made Finn think that this man knew his place in the world and wasn't going to let anything change it. Upon seeing Finn, the gentleman immediately offered his hand. "Mr. Hudson, glad to make your acquaintance. You were fantastic up there. It was like watching a rock concert at Madison Square Gardens.

Wide eyed at yet another wonderful compliment, Finn shook the man's hand and nodded. "Thank you, uh, Sir. And you can just call me Finn. I'm not old enough to be mister anything."

The gentleman smiled easily and also nodded. "Okay, Finn it is. You can call me Ira. You say 'Sir' to me and I start looking to see if my father is around." Ira then turned and smiled warmly at Mr. Berry. "Leroy, how are you?"

Mr. Berry smiled widely and embraced the other man in a tight hug, which surprised Finn greatly. "I'm good Ira. Thanks so much for coming. I'm really, really glad you were able to make it."

"You guys know each other?" Finn asked dumbly, his fog coated brain just now catching on that two men didn't usually just hug each other unless there was some sort of history between them.

Ira and Mr. Berry both laughed and nodded. "We go way back, Finn." Leroy said, one arm still around Ira's shoulders. "College, actually. We went to law school together and never lost contact with each other." Leroy regarded the gentleman beside him. "What's it been now? Twenty two years?"

"Twenty five." Ira laughed in response. "Seems like just yesterday we sat beside each other in Corporate Law, doesn't it? But hey, let's not bore our young friend any more than is necessary. After all, he and I _**are**_ on a date." Leroy and Ira both looked at Finn, then glanced at each other and began laughing again like a couple of old men in on a private joke. _Well, I guess that's fairly accurate. They are a couple of old men, after all. _

Mr. Berry shook Ira's hand again. "I'll have to catch up with you later, old chum. Duties of the gala beckon me once more into the breach. I hope you and Finn have a good time together." Mr. Berry then turned and regarded Finn in mock seriousness. "I'm leaving you to tend to someone very near and dear to my heart, Finn. Please don't disappoint me." With a final wink, he turned and left towards the stage area.

Finn watched him retreat a few yards, then turned back to Ira and stepped a bit closer, but not so much so that his wooziness would cause him to accidentally stumble into the other man. He also felt a growing need to use the washroom soon, but felt he had to say something to his date first. "Really, Sir, I mean...Ira, I have to really, _**really **_thank you for saving me."

Ira raised an eyebrow in askance. "From what, Finn?"

Finn motioned towards Mr. Ryerson on the other side of the dance floor, who was busy watching Morgan Rogers as he performed a soft shoe dance routine (_now there's something I would never have expected seeing Morgan Rogers doing)_. "From spending the next five hours in the company of Captain Pompous over there in the pink tuxedo."

Ira glanced in the direction Finn indicated and smiled a bit. "Ah, you mean Mr. Ryerson." Surprise must have registered on Finn's face, because when Ira looked back to him, he shrugged and explained. "The gay and lesbian community in Ohio isn't that large, Finn, and when one of your best friends is heavily involved in it, you're often informed about certain, shall we say, _suspicious_ members within the ranks. He seemed a little over-eager to be purchasing you for the evening, which is odd to me considering your age difference. I take it you're not fond of him?"

Shaking his head, Finn replied. "He used to teach at my high school. I avoided all his classes like the plaque."

Ira's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. 'You mean the Plague?"

"Isn't that what I said?" Finn asked, the dizziness still affecting his mind and the bathroom now beckoning him more urgently.

"No, you said plaque, as in tartar build up on your teeth." Ira smiled again. "Mind you, I like the new expression. Most people want to avoid the plaque as well." Suddenly a sound like an old desk phone from decades gone by blared around the two men, and Ira pulled out his cell phone and held it to his ear. "Hello? Oh, you're ready? That's good. Okay, we'll see you then." He hung up the phone and continued watching the bidding process on Morgan Rogers.

Finn's curiosity got the better of him and he leaned over to Ira. "What's wrong? You didn't ditch a different date to come hang with me for the night or something, did you?"

Smiling, Ira reached over and grasped Finn's hand in a manner Finn would only have appreciated from his girlfriend. "Oh no, nothing like that. In fact, that was about certain plans I have for _you _tonight." Ira suddenly gave him a saucy look and lusty smile that caused Finn to start panicking. "And I think you're going to like every minute of it, too." With that, he suddenly turned and, hand in hand, pulled Finn along with him across the dance floor and towards the kitchen.

_I really, really, _**really **_don't like where this is going! _Finn thought to himself.

* * *

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged. Thanks for reading. :) **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone for the kind reviews. They really encourage me to keep going with the story (although I probably would have anyway, but reviews make it much more worthwhile). I noticed in reviews there was some speculation regarding Ira and his role...all is answered here. I had an idea on how this was going to go, but as usual the characters surprised me and suggested other, more interesting options. Hope you all enjoy. **

**Disclaimer - See Chapter 1, if necessary. **

* * *

Reluctantly following Ira, Finn breezed past the crowd on the dance floor still in the bidding process on Morgan Rogers (he absently heard a bid for fifty seven hundred, which bummed him out that his 'record setting' bid had been overtaken so quickly), walked past his family, all of them giving him a quizzical look as to why he was hand-in-hand with his date (Finn shrugged in response that he wasn't sure where he was going) and then suddenly past the men's room making him realize again how desperate he was starting to get in regards to using the facilities therein. They turned a corner into the staff area (Finn was very confused at this point...was this guy an employee here at the convention centre?) and then suddenly into the kitchen. Ira didn't even slow down, but instead continued walking on through like he had a mission of some kind. Again, they rounded another corner and then Ira suddenly burst through a door leading to the outside alleyway. Finn inhaled sharply as the cold, crisp air unexpectedly hit his system, but his buzzing mind seemed to clear up just slightly as fresh oxygen entered his lungs.

He glanced around to try and orient himself. A parking lot was directly across the street from him, sporting many different vehicles (one being a pink Cadillac with a vanity plate of 'RYRSN 1'. Three guesses who that belonged to). Other than that, there were buildings all around him in a close knit space to where the two of them were standing. The sun had already gone down and the alleyway only had a couple of lamps strewn along the sides of the buildings to cast enough light to see.

"Okay... uh...this is...unexpected." Finn said nervously, eyeing Ira carefully from where he was.

Ira smiled and moved closer to Finn, his voice barely above a whisper. "Trust me. You'll love what I'm about to do." His hand rested on Finn's shoulder, and then, terrifying Finn into a complete state of frozen fear, his hand came up and stroked Finn's jaw. Ira moved in so closely it was almost...intimate?

_No, no, no! This can't be happening, man. I knew Mr. Ryerson was a creep, but this guy seemed fine. How the hell can this be turning on me so – _

"Come on out, Sweetie!" Ira suddenly called over his shoulder, turning from Finn just before Finn thought he'd have to physically push the man away. Finn followed Ira's gaze to suddenly see a short female figure overshadowed by the lamp cast from behind her. She stepped forward cautiously and revealed herself under the light from the lamp above Finn. Big, familiar brown eyes looked at him adoringly as she came fully into his view.

Finn's jaw dropped in shock. "Rachel?"

It was one of the most relieving sights he had ever had in his life. She was there in a beautiful black strapless dress with random, narrow white highlights accenting her curves, and she sported elegant elbow length white gloves. Her hair was lifted up in a bun at the back of her head with two or three ringlet curls strategically hanging down around her neck. Her makeup was exquisitely done to highlight her eyes and cheeks, and her lips wore a dark cherry red lipstick; the entire effect produced serious interest and arousal in Finn. Around her neck was a silver necklace with a thumb-sized, jewelled letter 'F'.

She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful and breathtaking sight Finn had ever witnessed, regardless of the situation.

"Thank you _**so **_much for letting me steal your date tonight, Uncle Ira." Rachel said as she embraced the other man in a tight hug of familiarity.

_Uncle Ira? _

"My pleasure, Rachel. It's a good thing too, or my wife would have teased me mercilessly about dating a man for the whole night. Not that I wouldn't have done it for you anyway, mind you."

"Wait." Finn held up his hand, causing both Rachel and Ira to regard him curiously. "Wife? You're straight?"

Ira laughed outright as Rachel giggled behind her gloved hand. "Of course I am, Finn. You didn't think just because Leroy and I were friends that I was automatically gay too, did you?"

Finn didn't admit at that moment that that was _**exactly**_ what he thought.

Ira smiled at Finn even as he embraced Rachel across her shoulders in a parental gesture that Finn had received from Leroy just minutes earlier. "I'm Hiram's brother, Finn. I introduced Leroy and Hiram to each other twenty five years ago once I realized Leroy and he shared a lot of the same interests, not to mention lifestyle and orientation."

Finn closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear the still persistent buzzing in his brain. "Then what was all that stuff earlier? Holding my hand like we're together, stroking my jaw, moving in close enough to almost...kiss me?"

Ira laughed again and Rachel smiled as looked at her uncle. "Just completely and totally messing with your head, Finn. It's a bad habit of mine that I can't seem to break, which is probably why I enjoy the court room so much. Sorry if I worried you for a moment there." Of course, to Finn, Ira didn't actually sound sorry in the slightest.

"He's a trial lawyer, Finn." Rachel filled in the remaining details. "Part of that is being a very good actor and not showing your hand too soon. It throws your opponent off their guard."

"If you think that's bad, you should have seen how I had Rachel convinced that someday she would be visited by the Boob Fairy. I think she was almost fourteen before she finally clued in that it didn't work that way."

"I had just turned twelve!" Rachel corrected, a blush coming to her face as she turned her eyes back to her uncle. "And can we please not bring up those types of things in front of my boyfriend?"

Ira smiled and shrugged. "Not like you suffered an extensive visit from her anyway. Hey!" Rachel playfully slapped her uncle across the shoulder, giving him an exasperated look to indicate her disapproval of his insulting remark.

Finn closed his eyes and began to massage his temples as his stupor laden mind slowly processed all the information being thrown at him from the two people he faced. "So, the whole bidding thing, Ira...you...you were actually bidding on behalf of Rachel?"

Ira grinned at him in return. "I had over ten thousand dollars set aside that I was going to donate to the O.G.L.E.R.S. anyway, Finn. When Rachel called me, told me you would be participating in the auction and asked if I would like to bid on you, I agreed immediately. Besides, I had to make sure you were every bit as wonderful as she claimed, but judging by the way she's looking at you even now, I can tell you definitely make her very happy." Ira looked at his watch and frowned while turning to Rachel. "I really should get back to the head table and spend some time with your fathers before they think I've abandoned them for the whole evening. Besides, I'm sure you two would like a little bit of time alone." Ira smirked at Finn. "But not _**too**_ much time, alone. Okay?" He shook Finn's hand, who responded in kind (even though he was still reeling from the turn of events that had taken place) and then hugged Rachel tightly. "See you inside, Sweetie." With that, Ira pulled down on his tuxedo jacket to straighten it out and proceeded back inside the door to the kitchen.

Rachel smiled at Finn even as he looked at her with what he was certain was complete confusion. "I thought you were rehearsing a recital at Lincoln Jr. High?"

Rachel shrugged. "They changed the rehearsal to be in the morning. I had just gotten back from it when I called you, actually, but I wanted to keep my appearance here a surprise. Isn't this a nicer way to find out than me just blabbing about it on the phone?" She moved in closer and Finn's knees grew weak and started trembling as the smell of a new perfume overpowered his senses and seemed to increase the buzzing feeling in his mind. _Ah...THIS is why she likes to have more than one scent in her collection. _"By the way, your performance was absolutely _**wonderful**_. I knew you would knock their socks off with something completely unexpected."

_It was unexpected all right, but I'll keep silent on how, exactly_.

Her arms snaked around his neck as she pulled him down for a long, lingering, lustful kiss that he couldn't help but enjoy as their lips and tongues melded in a familiar but intimate dance of young love, and his arms automatically encircled her and drew her in protectively.

Just as they pulled apart to catch their breaths, Finn's bladder screamed urgently to him. As in _**NOW **_urgent. "Rach, I-" He looked into her eyes, but they had turned from adoring to questioning and she rested back on her feet from her tip-toed position. She took a small step back, even as she still held his hands in hers.

"Finn, please be honest with me, and forgive me if I ruin a moment between us, but is that _**beer**_ I taste on your tongue?"

"Yeah, about that-"

"You had an alcoholic beverage?" Rachel's face had turned from questioning to complete disbelief. "Finn, how did you even manage that? You're underage!"

"Well, see-"

"Did you not think that perhaps a function _**my fathers**_ were running was perhaps not the best time to partake in imbibing intoxicating substances?"

"Imbibing?"

"Are you saying you honestly could not have gone for one night, one solitary night, without succumbing to the temptation of partaking in..."

That was it. Finn gave up and groaned as his hands simply flew to the zipper of his pants automatically. Rachel's eyes suddenly seemed to bug out of her head and she began another speech about how this was _**not **_the appropriate time or place for anything sexual to be occurring, but he tuned it out. Once free of his garments and holding himself, he heard her suddenly go quiet and then stare up at him. He simply looked at her, embarrassed, and muttered, "Sorry, Rach."

**XXXXX**

Rachel watched, half appalled and half completely lustful upon seeing Finn's determined look as his hands flew to the zipper of his pants. For a moment the dangerous element of the two of them engaging privately in something so blatantly sexual so close to a massive room full of friends and family strongly appealed to her, and she even gave a nanosecond's thought to actually helping Finn free his 'member' from their restrictive garments. But the logical side of her mind reined her in and instead she backed up slightly to ensure she wouldn't give into the sudden impulses running through her mind and coursing through her skin. "Finn!" She exclaimed quietly but forcefully. "You can't be serious. This is _**not**_ the time or place to engage in any kind of sexual activity. We're both wearing formal wear and our respective families are in the hall expecting our presence and-". She was cut off as her eyes wandered down of their own accord just in time to see him free himself. As always, no matter when they had gotten this far, the sight of his 'member' in plain view and just beyond her touch instantly caused a wave of desire to wash through her and she felt her mouth go dry. She clenched her hands into fists to prevent herself from following the urge to grab him herself and begin something she was positive they couldn't finish, and she reluctantly turned her wide eyes up to his face. For one of the few times in her life, she was completely speechless.

"Sorry, Rach." He muttered, embarrassed, as he suddenly turned into the nearby corner, confusing her even further. She wondered why he was suddenly acting so strangely.

Suddenly an unmistakable sound of liquid hitting the concrete side of the building became apparent to her. _No…no, he's not...not here! He can't be. Oh my word…he's actually, he's…he's…EEEEEWWWWW! S_he felt her cheeks flush crimson even as she turned her back on him to offer a tiny bit more privacy as he completed his given task.

She stood there for what seemed like an eternity, right arm supporting her left arm at the elbow as she dropped her face in her palm to hide her own indignity of this rather unexpected situation. This was _**not **_how she envisioned the evening going with Finn. She had envisioned wonderful jazz music, delectable food, and entertaining (if clumsy and awkward) dancing all evening; instead she was standing outside in an alleyway between two buildings and waiting for him to finish _**urinating**_. _So much for things going according to plan! _She thought to herself. The splashing sound continued to carry on, a steady stream of liquid continuing to spatter against the building and ground. How large _**was **_his bladder, anyway? "Have you finished, yet?" She asked impatiently, glancing over her shoulder.

In response, his head came up as he looked towards the roof of the building. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" He moaned in obvious relief.

Mortified even further, Rachel turned back to alternately regard the parking lot in front of her and check the watch on the small purse slung over her shoulder. Yes, more than ninety seconds had now passed since he'd begun, and just now was the stream of liquid starting to taper off as she heard a few more splashes on the pavement. Then, thankfully, silence.

"Wow! That was _**epic**_!" Finn blurted out as she heard the sounds of him tucking himself away.

She rolled her eyes skyward. "Complete with colour commentary. How romantic!" Rachel spat sarcastically even as she turned to regard him, annoyed, with hands on her hips. She was glad that at least he looked somewhat embarrassed to have done that in front of her.

"Aw, come on, Rach, don't be like that. If you had any idea of how totally _**desperate **_I was, you wouldn't blame me!" Finn stepped away from the corner of the building and closer to her, his arms wide to give her another hug, but she quickly brought up her own hands to prevent him from doing so by immobilizing his arms where they were.

"You will kindly wash your hands _**before**_ you embrace me again, please!" She declared pointedly. He nodded, dropped his arms to his sides and hiccupped. "Are you alright?" She asked?

"Not completely. I mean, I feel better now, but I have this really annoying, buzzing, dizzy feeling in my head that just won't go away! It's like I'm drunk or something, when I know I can't be." Finn brought up his hand to steady himself a bit on the nearby wall of the building.

"How much beer did you have, exactly?" Rachel asked.

Finn shook his head. "Only one. Honest. Morgan bought it for me. Hey did you know Morgan Rogers, the quarterback of the Bengals, is here tonight?"

"Stay on target, Finn. We'll get to him later. How much did you have to drink, tonight, because as you so eloquently described earlier, that little...splashdown...was definitely epic."

Finn shrugged. "I don't know, really. I had a glass of champagne at the beginning of the night."

Rachel's mouth dropped open. "You mean you had _**two **_alcoholic beverages tonight?"

"Well, the champagne didn't really count. Your Dads only gave it to me to thank me for agreeing to the auction at the last minute."

Aghast, Rachel took a step back and regarded him seriously, her hand going above her heart. "You're joking, right? _**My fathers **_gave you that?"

"Oh...uh... yeah and...well...they said you'd react like you just did and that I shouldn't tell you, so do me a favour and don't let them know I told you by accident, okay?"

"_**WHAT!**_" She practically yelled out.

Finn scratched his head absently. "Actually, I think your Dad said you'd go ballistic or something like that."

Rachel fumed silently to herself as Finn hiccupped again. Taking some deep breaths a few times over, she reoriented her thinking and tried to remember her original line of questioning for Finn before the sudden information regarding her fathers was revealed. She was definitely going to have strong words for _**both**_ of them later (ballistic wouldn't even come close to describing her planned lecture to them), but she'd do it at home and in private. It wouldn't look very good to humiliate them publicly at their own charity function.

"Anyway," Finn continued as he leaned back against the side of the building. "I had the champagne, and only one beer, but that was it for alcohol, I swear. And I know that's not enough to make me drunk because I had, like, four or five beer over at Puck's last week and barely felt anything."

Rachel crossed her arms, irritated. "And you had nothing else to eat or drink tonight?"

She watched as Finn slowly (even for him) went through everything in his mind leading up to her meeting him. He shrugged again. "No, I didn't have anything to eat; didn't really have time. I just downed a cup of coffee to help clear my head before I sang. Oh, wait a sec, I did have about four or five glasses of the fruit punch. Burt said it had ant-eaters in it, which is weird, but I gotta tell ya, Rach, Ant-Eater fruit punch is the most fantastic drink ever."

Rachel's eyebrows knit in confusion over her nose. "Ant-Eater fruit punch?"

Finn nodded and motioned with his hands back towards the reception. "Yeah, but Burt used the real word for them. What did he say again? Oh yeah...the punch was 'laced with amaretto'." Finn used air quotes around the last three words.

Suddenly everything in Rachel's mind clicked together into an obvious mental picture; Finn's seeming disorientation, his instant need to urinate, his slower than normal speech and comprehension; it all made complete sense, and she starting giggling uncontrollably in spite of herself as she placed her head in her hand, trying not to laugh uproariously in front of him but unable to help herself.

"What?" Finn asked after another hiccup.

"Oh, Finn." She regarded him sympathetically, lifting her head out of her hand, smiling widely at him. "You _**are **_drunk!"

Finn looked at her in surprise. "I am?"

She giggled again even as she came over to him and put her hands on his chest, looking into his eyes with love. "_**Amaretto**_ isn't an ant-eater, Finn, it's an Italian, almond flavoured liqueur. You're confusing that word with _**armadillo**_, which is a burrowing animal that eats insects."

"Oh. _**OH CRAP! **_" Finn blew out a noisy breath in disgust even as he shook his head and buried his eyes in the heels of his hands. "Shit, I'm so completely fucking _**stupid**_ sometimes! Maybe from now on I should just turn down any drink offered to me that isn't water." He regarded her with a pleading look. "I'm so, _**so **_sorry, Rach. I had no intention of..." His hiccup ended the last part of the sentence, so he shrugged and cast his head downwards in shame.

Rachel smiled and hugged him tightly around his waist, rubbing circles on his back to comfort him. "Well, this time at least it was an honest mistake. I'm pretty sure we can overlook it in this instance." She kissed him softly again on the lips, letting him know there were no hard feelings, and then sighed and grabbed his arm at the elbow to lead him back inside. "Come on. Dinner is going to start soon and you'll need to consume plenty of carbohydrates and water to help diminish the effects of all the alcohol in your system."

Finn gave her that lopsided grin that always caused her stomach to get butterflies. "What, you mean you don't want me to be drunk for the whole evening?"

Rachel grinned wickedly at him. "No, I still expect you to dance at least half the night with me, and considering you dance like a drunken fool when you're sober, there's really no telling what destruction and mayhem you'd cause if you tried while intoxicated."

**XXXXX**

Upon taking Rachel's advice for the last three and a half hours and trying to ingest plenty of food and water to reverse the effects of so much alcohol in his system, Finn was disgruntled that the unfortunate side-affect was also plenty of trips to the bathroom. Ever since he had seen Rachel in her formal wear looking every inch like a divine goddess from some movie in the thirties or forties, he really had no desire to leave her side for even a moment (his midnight fantasies about removing lingerie from her body might just be replaced by those of him removing that dress. Maybe women didn't have it wrong about liking _more_ clothing after all). Still, after his one previous experience in the alleyway, he was determined to try and not embarrass her any further and simply excused himself politely to use the facilities as they urge needed. She would huff in mock irritation or disgust, but then always smiled and nodded understandingly. Once in the washroom and finished from relieving himself (again), he turned to the sink to wash his hands just as another person entered in.

"Well, my, my, if it isn't the one that got away."

Finn looked into the mirror and saw Sandy Ryerson standing there, his hand over his heart and a still creepy looking smile over his face. As he no longer felt threatened by Sandy now that the auction portion of the evening was over, Finn simply returned the smile. "Sorry, Mr. Ryerson. Looks like I was outside your price range."

Sandy simply shrugged. "I tried my best, dear boy, but there are always those who are willing to throw money away on ridiculously overpriced products. I'll simply have to use my funds for a holiday in Barbados now. But since we're both here, perhaps you'd be interested in talking business for a moment."

_Okay, this is definitely NOT a direction I thought a conversation with him would take. _Finn turned to regard Sandy curiously while drying his hands on one of the cloth towels provided by the sink. "Business? You want drum lessons? You don't strike me as that type."

Sandy smiled as his right hand went into his jacket pocket. "Oh, you're naiveté is just so charming, Finn. No, I was talking about something I could possibly offer you."

Now that he wasn't so alcohol laden, Finn's mind was able to fairly accurately connect the dots in regards to what Mr. Ryerson was saying, and he immediately shook his head in response. "First of all, I'm straight; second, I have a girlfriend who I'm totally happy with in regards to physical relations, and third, even if I was single, I'd _never _pay for it, let alone with a _guy_."

Surprising Finn slightly, Sandy burst out laughing at Finn's answer to his unexplained statement. "My dear boy, I'm _not _talking about sex. I agree one hundred per centre with you, that's something _no one_ should ever pay for." His right hand went into his pants pocket of his pink tuxedo and he withdrew a small cardboard box with fancy writing on it. "You're a successful young man, Finn, and with that comes extra pressures and responsibilities. I was hoping to offer you some means of releasing the tension that success can generate." With that, he handed the small box over to Finn, who haltingly took the box and glanced down to read it.

**CHRONIC LADY**

_Wait. I've seen this before. What the-? _Finn quickly turned his eyes back to Sandy Ryerson. "You're offering me _drugs?_"

"It's medicinal, Finn, and the first dose of 'medicine' is always free. Consider it a trial run. If you would like to purchase a full prescription, I'm sure we can arrange something at a later date for a reasonable price."

Appalled at what Mr. Ryerson had just said and presented to him, Finn shook his head again. "I may be a few planets short of a Federation, Mr. Ryerson, but I know for a fact that shit like _this_ doesn't get anyone _anywhere._ If I'm stressed, I'll lift some weights or attack my drums or talk to Rachel. I have no use for any kind of narcotics." Finn tried to hand it back to Mr. Ryerson, but the older man stepped away with his hands up by his shoulders, palm outwards, and a wide smile spread across his face to indicate he wouldn't accept it.

"Like I said, Finn, the first dose is free, and it really is an excellent product. I guarantee you all the stress you have in life will melt away. If you require any references feel free to start with your beloved glee instructor."

Finn took a half-step back in shock, as if he had just been stung or slapped by Mr. Ryerson's words, and his stomach turned into knots. "What did you say?"

"It was about two and a half years ago, or so I think, when I gave it to him."

_Two and a half years...but that was about the time I joined glee and...no! He's lying. He can't be telling the truth. Not...No! No, no, NO! _

Sandy continued talking, ignoring the look of horror crawling across Finn's face. "If I recall, William had the same initial reaction to it as you did, Finn, but he didn't exactly go out of his way to return it either, if you catch my meaning. In fact, he even called me several months after his trial run for another dose, right around the time the stress of Regionals was getting to him." Sandy smiled as he came forward and physically closed Finn's hand and fingers around the box the teenager held in his hand. "Trust me, my dear boy, the quality of the product speaks for itself. Toodles." With that, Mr. Ryerson again waved his fingers at him, then exited the bathroom with a spring in his step.

Staring at the spot Mr. Ryerson had just vacated, Finn was completely dumbfounded at the sudden revelations presented to him. His legs grew weak and he turned just in time to catch himself on the sink counter before he fell to his knees in shock. All this time, he had thought one of the other students at McKinley High had tried to save their own skin by planting their marijuana in his locker when it was open and he wasn't looking. He was left almost gasping for breath to discover that the drugs which had supposedly been found in his locker more than likely had belonged to Mr. Schuester himself. Another wave of nausea flowed through him as his mind, now almost completely free of the effects of alcohol, connected the rest of the dots for him. _There was never _**anything**_ in your locker. Mr. Schue blackmailed you! Intentionally! All just to get you to join the glee club two and a half years ago. _**HE USED YOU!**

Tears of anger and frustration began to roll down his face. Not since he discovered things about Puck and Quinn had he felt so betrayed by someone so close to him. Mr. Schuester, of _**all**_ people, would be the first one he'd run to if he had any problems. Hell, he'd told his glee instructor about Quinn's pregnancy even before his Mom! Was no one in his life trustworthy? Did they all try to control and manipulate him for their own selfish gains?

He wanted to crawl under the counter and just hug himself to console the chaos of his emotions as he felt them, but instead he forced himself up and quickly wiped his errant tears away. _No. No, I am NOT going to cry about this. Not here. I'm eighteen. I'm a high school senior with a fun part-time job, half a chance at going to college, a great family and a gorgeous girlfriend. This will NOT__change anything about that. _

He looked at the small package in his hand, and for a moment his mind cleared enough to recognize the danger of his current situation. If he was caught with this, he'd likely be charged for possession of a narcotic substance and have to go to court over it, a situation he was not willing to put himself, his family, or his girlfriend through. Not to mention he was completely turned off even the idea of drugs after his misguided experience with 'Vitamin D' in his sophomore year. Catching sight in the mirror of one of the toilet bowls in the stall just behind him, he turned, walked in and emptied the box into the bowl. Once Finn was sure the complete contents of the box were dumped, he quickly flushed and watched with satisfaction as his immediate problem swirled away in the water and down the drain. Just for good measure, he began to wash his hands a second time to get any trace of the illegal substance off his skin. _No fucking way I'm ever using garbage like that! _Finn thought as he turned off the water. He dried his hands and then turned his attention to the box beside him on the counter, again reading the fancy writing.

**CHRONIC LADY**

He had to do something, but what, exactly, he didn't know. He considered simply bringing this to the attention of Principal Figgins on Monday, but that would likely result in Mr. Schuester being fired, and despite the disgust he held his mentor in right now, he knew he didn't want Mr. Schue to lose his job; he was an excellent teacher and New Directions' chances at Regionals and Nationals would be slim to none without his guidance. The only other option he could fathom at the moment was to find Mr. Schuester here at the ball and bust him across the chops; hard!The man had it coming, certainly, but Finn was no longer the dumb sixteen year old kid who took his anger out on people. Really, he was lucky Puck didn't press assault charges at the end of the 'Babygate' fiasco (though Puck probably felt he deserved getting punched), but in truth physically assaulting someone usually landed them in the slammer; if he wasn't willing to go in for possessing drugs, he certainly wasn't willing to do so for inflicting harm on another person.

The overwhelming sense of betrayal was almost sickening. Other than Burt, Mr. Schue was the only man in his life who he felt he could trust completely. _But that's just it! _Finn's emotional side argued. _You TRUSTED him, only to find out he did shit like this to you? What kind of trustworthy person does that? What kind of trustworthy person even THINKS of doing it? _

_So what now? What the fuck do I do now? _

_

* * *

_

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged! :) **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N - Well, after everything that's happened, I finally see where the story is going and where the ending will be. That doesn't mean it ends here, though. I think I have another two chapters or so after this, and actually, have an idea for a follow-up, as well, but I'll have to map that out on paper still. This chapter completely surprised me as I wrote it as so many things began to click into place, but I think it would up decent in the end. So please enjoy. Again, thank you for all the kind words on the last chapter, and I'm glad I was able to throw a surprise in there for you guys. **

**Disclaimer - See Chapter 1 if necessary. **

* * *

Rachel grinned while holding her glass of ginger-ale in her fingers as she watched Burt and Carole, Blaine and Kurt and her Dad and Daddy all dance on the floor to the dulcet sounds of _Girl from Ipanena_. The bossa-nova was certainly one of her favourite types of big band music as it was sensual and melodic, but even if Finn had been dancing with her during this number, she was pretty certain he would have had trouble with the exact steps. She smiled further at the memory of her actually challenging him to play the drum beats from different songs in glee club one day, and was quite surprised to find he could play nearly all of them; bossa-nova, calypso, disco, rock (he demonstrated about five different beats with that one, of course), funk, swing, shuffle, even samba (he then floored her by asking if she wanted a jazz samba or rock samba). Of course, after proving he could indeed play all her requested rhythms, generating applause from the whole group, she had turned the tables and made _him _the laughing stock by declaring that he must be the only drummer whose sense of rhythm was located in his ass since every time he got _**off**_ of it to dance, all rhythmic ability seemed to disappear completely.

She turned her head towards the men's bathroom just in time to see Finn emerge, and she felt the smile slip from her face and her stomach tighten with anxiety; his face had blanched considerably, and his eyes were alternating between sad and haunted as he looked around the convention hall. Upon seeing him come closer, she was shocked to see a faint, barely noticeable line tracing from the corner of his eye to halfway down his cheek. _What the_...o_h, no! He's...has he been _**crying? **She immediately put her glass down and leaped to her feet, intercepting him when he was only about a quarter of the way from the table. "Finn, are you alright? What happened in there?" She asked, genuine concern inflecting her voice.

Finn glanced at her but then closed his eyes and took a breath. It was shaky and uneven, which surprised her greatly since he had been more than happy all night after the alleyway. Her eyes widened as he looked up and around quickly, then turned back to her. "Can...can we go for a walk? We can go anywhere you like. I just...I just need to get out of here right now." He turned to her and she was alarmed to see he was practically on the verge of tears. "Please?" he whispered hoarsely.

Rachel swallowed, worried. The only other time she had seen Finn become this upset this quickly was when she had revealed the true paternity regarding Quinn's pregnancy to him. She had a hundred questions race through her mind, but the look on his face clearly indicated to her that here and now was not the time to ask; he needed her support and comfort, and if that meant acquiescing to his request to leave, she was more than happy to oblige. "Of course. Just let me say goodbye to everyone."

He grabbed his and her ticket out of his tuxedo jacket pocket. "Can you say goodbye for me, too? I'll get our coats." As he proceeded to the coat check by the door, she nodded to him and then turned to grab her purse and gloves.

She gracefully walked over to where the members of her family (and Finn's) were dancing and enjoying the music about half-way across the dance floor. Burt and Carole's heads turned upon noticing her approach, but before they could ask any questions, Rachel explained. "Finn and I have to leave. Something...something's upset him. He said he wants to go for a walk."

Burt, Carole, Kurt, Blaine, Hiram and Leroy all looked at her in surprise, then over to Finn, who was at the coat check counter handing over the tickets to retrieve their winter jackets with Mr. Schuester approaching him from behind, his hand outreached to shake Finn's goodbye. "Is everything alright, Honey?" Carole asked.

"I...I'm not sure." Rachel responded truthfully, eyeing her boyfriend as he glanced and said something inaudible to his teacher. "Finn went to the washroom in good spirits but when he came out, he...well, he looked like Death warmed over."

"Is he sick?" Burt asked, concern in his voice as he glanced towards his step-son. "Did he eat something he's allergic to?"

"Even if he did, I doubt he'd notice it when combined with the other two tonnes of food he consumes at a meal. " Kurt replied only half jokingly, causing everyone to smile.

Rachel gave a half shrug. "Something's disturbed him somehow, but I can't say for sure what it is, exactly. Maybe he just needs some air or..."

"_**DON'T! Do NOT start with me! You have no right or business to say ANYTHING!" **_Finn bellowed so loudly across the hall that most people stopped dancing to turn and stare at the commotion. The only noise remaining was the band, still playing their song selection as if nothing had happened. Mr. Schuester, who in his right hand was holding something Rachel thought looked like a small box, regarded Finn in shock and actually took a step back in astonishment and fear from his student. Finn lividly glared down at his teacher in a manner that chilled Rachel's spine; she had only seen one other person receive _that _look from Finn before; Noah, when his disloyalty over Quinn became known to the quarterback. _Did Mr. Schuester somehow _**betray **_him? _

Rachel watched as Finn grabbed his and her winter jackets. Mr. Schuester put a hand on Finn's shoulder to try and talk to him, but Finn turned blindingly fast with finely honed athletic reflexes and clasped Mr. Schuester's wrist violently in his huge hand, causing Will Schuester to wince slightly. She put her hand over her mouth, fearing for a moment that Finn was going to further assault her teacher. After a few seconds of staring each other down, however, Finn relaxed slightly, let his teacher go, and without another word turned and stormed out the main entrance, the electronic door sliding open automatically for him as he walked into the lobby. After a moment, all the commotion in the gala seemed to start up again as everyone turned back to their own tasks, concerns and conversations.

"Gee, do you think it could have something to do with Mr. Schuester?" Kurt asked in a sarcastic manner, causing Blaine to bump his shoulder lightly with his own to shut him up.

"I really think I better go." Rachel said to everyone quickly. "He asked to go for a walk, so I'll take him somewhere quiet where we can talk about what's bothering him."

Carole nodded. "Text me and let me know where you guys go, okay? And let me know if there's anything I can do." Carole looked at her with gratitude, then glanced again at the main entrance worriedly. "Please, take care of him."

"I will." Rachel nodded to everyone, quickly kissed both her fathers and then turned her attention to her teacher, who stood about thirty feet away, his face downcast and his arms hanging limply by their sides. As she approached her glee instructor, she noticed he had a defeated look etched across his face and his eyes were closed. Rachel slowed her approach and looked at him from underneath his hunched form. "Are...are you alright, Mr. Schue?"

Mr. Schuester's head came up at the sound of her voice, and his eyes opened. He quickly wiped away at his eyes, but his voice was strong and stable, if quiet. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine, Rachel. Thanks for asking."

Rachel glanced through the glass of the door, watching as Finn shoved his arms into his winter coat and pulled it around himself, then turned back to her glee instructor. "Dare I ask what that was all about?"

Mr. Schuester gave a tentative half smile even as he swallowed. "Let's just say he has every right to be really upset with me, and I don't blame him in the slightest." He looked down at her. "You better go to him, Rachel. You're probably the only one he'd want to talk to right now anyway. I'm a big boy. I can handle things on my end just fine."

Nodding again, Rachel waved a small goodbye to her teacher and exited the room. Finn was just outside the lobby, in the cold air, his head up and looking at the stars. She walked through the electronic doors and at the sound of them Finn turned around, his face and eyes softening considerably as he held her coat open for her. "Hey." He said, leaning down to kiss her cheek after helping her with her coat. "Thanks for coming out with me."

Rachel secured her coat around herself and then turned to look up into his eyes, noticing how sad and full of pain they were. "I'd ask if you're okay, but I think I can already guess the answer."

Finn blew out a noisy breath and shrugged. "Just one more person who screwed me over. I suppose I should be use to it by now." His voice carried a certain venomous quality to it which Rachel found disconcerting. Usually he was the happy-go-lucky athlete who made everyone smile, if not for his unique _Finn-ness_, certainly for his lopsided grin and likeable personality. But right now he gave her the impression of being a cornered animal; one who would only allow one person to approach; her. _Kind of like Beauty and The Beast_, she thought wistfully.

Deciding to face the issue and challenge head on, Rachel smiled slightly. She motioned to the paved pathway which ran adjacent to the building and led towards the sidewalk by the main road. "Come on. You said you wanted to go for a walk. So, let's walk." Finn nodded as he put his hands in his jacket pockets and extended his arm out to her. She linked her arm in his and put her head on his shoulder even as they walked away from the sounds of the festivities inside.

**XXXXX**

_Fucking Berry! This is all her fault._

Santana sat cross legged on the floor of her room, staring at the cell phone in front of her with fear and trepidation. No matter how she looked at it, it would either be the source of great relief or serious emotional harm. _Why am I doing this to myself? _She thought. _Why do I care? I've been getting by for two years with almost no problems. Why should I care now?_

_What are you talking about? You've always cared! You've just refused to admit it to yourself and tried to forget about it all by consoling your pain with meaningless, no-strings-attached physical relationships. Time to own up to something more important and significant than that. _

Santana swallowed as she picked up the phone. She glanced at Matt's contact information on the sheet of paper Mike had given to her and dialled the area code and prefix before hesitating on the last four numbers, then snapped her cell phone closed and slid it across the floor away from her, staring at it like it was an evil archaeological artefact from some cheesy adventure movie.

_Well, that was mature of you. How old are you again?_

_Shut it! I'm just re-thinking this, that's all. I need to know exactly what to say. I can't just call and say "Oh, by the way, sorry I smashed your heart into a million pieces." He'll laugh in my face just like any other teenage boy would. Hell, _**I'd** _laugh in their face, too! What the hell am I doing even thinking about this? _

_You're growing up, that's what you're doing! And this is Matt, not just another teenage boy. That's why you fell for him in the first place, because he's NOT just another boy. He's sweet, he's kind, he's thoughtful, he's goofy, and he doesn't try to impress beyond his means. And seriously, the boy can _**dance**_! Didn't you like that best of all? Having someone who could keep up with you on the dance floor? _

Santana retrieved her phone, then sighed heavily while dialing the number. She got as far as the last two digits, then her fingers froze and she again snapped it shut and shoved it across the floor away from her.

_Oooh, so close yet so far._

_Fuck, I hate Rachel! God-Damn munchkin sized diva freak! If she hadn't pulled me into the bathroom and read me like a stupid drugstore novel I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. _

_Don't blame this on her! She was there for you offering help when she had every right to throw another drink in your face! After everything you, Quinn and Brittany did to her two years ago, she was still there as your friend. Your _**real**_ friend. Not the Cheerio pseudo-bitches who you originally thought of as friends. And FYI, you still have to return her clothes to her. _

Santana continued to stare at the phone as if it were a poisonous snake. Should she email instead, perhaps? It might be easier, but she also knew that it was a lot more impersonal to apologize digitally than over a phone when someone could hear your voice speaking earnestly. Email and texting wasn't really the way she wanted to re-start her communication with him. He deserved better than that.

_Okay, that argument is out of the way now. So grab that phone, punch in the numbers and speak to him directly. _

_And what if he's not there? What if it's just a voicemail message? What if..._

_We're not going to play the bloody "What if's" game again, are we? Is this really _**THE **_Santana Lopez who was Acting Captain of the Cheerios two years ago and led the team to a National Championship as a sophomore? The one who decided to defy school opinion and stay in Glee club because it was the best part of her day? The one who determinedly set out to get whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it? The one who after Quinn's pregnancy refused to ever be a follower again and insisted she stand on her own two feet and make her own decisions? If you want him back, __**go get him!**_

_It's not a matter of wanting him back. It's a matter of finding closure and apologizing. _

_Sure it is. Maybe someday you'll even believe that yourself. _

Santana stared at the phone again. Nine numbers. Nine. That's all that separated her from the boy she had loved. Loved? Love? Did she still love him? Maybe. Yes? No, that was impossible. Or was it? But it's been two years! How was that possible? It wasn't. Surely it couldn't be. Two years had to be enough time to get over someone. Wasn't it?

_Not in your case, Princess! _

She collapsed backwards on the pillows she had arranged behind herself and pulled out the large stuffed teddy bear Matt had bought for her all those months ago. After gazing at it for a minute, she forced it over her mouth and stifled a scream of frustration.

_Fucking Berry! This is all her fault. _

**XXXXX**

Finn threw another stone out into the river, which he and Rachel had walked to and was only a few short blocks from the Lima Convention Centre. He picked up a few more rocks, keeping some in his hand and tossed another stone, thankful that the physical action was helping to relieve some of the tension that had built up so quickly upon discovering the full extent Mr. Schuester's dishonesty. _How the fuck could a teacher...A TEACHER...do that kind of shit to a student? Really? Was it really necessary?_

Rachel watched him from a few feet away, her own winter jacket completely done up and his jacket draped across her shoulders to keep her warmer. Finn didn't really mind feeling the cool February air on his skin through the tuxedo right now. It actually hadn't been that cold all week, and he was keeping physically busy by skipping stones across the river, so he had offered her his jacket as well to guard against the cool wind off the water as he vented his frustrations. She had crossed her arms and grabbed his jacket by the opposite sides with her hands to keep it drawn a little closer. Concern and love shone through her eyes to him as he picked up another stone and threw it into the river. "So?"

Finn paused just before launching another stone into the water and regarded her with another lopsided smile. "A needle pulling thread." He remarked as he tried to skip the rock along the water where the ice had melted.

Unlike last week, this time Rachel smiled at the admittedly lame joke. "Cute, Finn, but I was asking about the whole incident between you and Mr. Schue." She looked out towards the river where his rock had landed after a couple of bounces along the water's surface. "You were furious; enraged, even; like you were about to pulverize him."

"He'd deserve it." Finn remarked before he chose another one. "I'm tired of being manipulated by others."

Rachel cast a raised eyebrow at him and smiled. "Your vocabulary really is starting to come along. Now, how exactly did he manipulate you?"

Throwing a final rock out into the water in front of him, he dropped the rest and came over to stand beside her. He didn't look directly at her but instead kept his eyes on the water and cityscape rising above it on the other side. He took her small hand in his and held it tightly. "Did Mr. Schuester ever tell you exactly _why_ I joined Glee club in the first place?"

Rachel shook her head, and Finn grimaced internally. _Of course not. He can't be honest to any of his students, can he? _"Mr. Schuester came to the football player's locker room and asked for male singers to join the group. I have to admit, I was tempted right there, because I knew I had a decent voice-"

"Decent?" Rachel queried with a slight smile. "Finn, your voice is _**fantastic!**_"

Finn shrugged slightly. "Now it is, maybe, but you've helped with it a lot. Back then I wasn't as well trained. Anyway, Mr. Schuester pulled me into his office after I had finished showering and put a small cardboard box in front of me. It was a dose, a rather _large _dose, of marijuana, and said he'd discovered it in my football locker. "

Rachel stared wide eyed at him, astonished. "Was it really...it wasn't...you never _**used**_ that stuff, did you?"

"Never! I swear on my life, Rach, I would never _**touch**_ the stuff. I know I'm not the brightest star in the universe, but I knew how bad drugs and all that stuff was. Besides, with the random drug testing they do on all high-school athletes, it would have been a one-way ticket out of school athletics, and I sure as hell never wanted that. Besides, my Mom would have grounded me until I was fifty or something." Finn took another breath to settle the anger bubbling to the surface as he recounted the events to Rachel. "So, long story short, Mr. Schue gave me a choice. Six weeks detention and a permanent letter on my school file, which might have killed any chance of me ever going to college, or join glee and get some extra credits in the process." Finn turned to her, his eyes looking straight into hers as he continued with his story. "I always thought that the marijuana was planted there by one of the other football players and Mr. Schue found it by accident somehow. Turns out...the marijuana was Mr. Schuester's all along."

Rachel's eyes grew as wide and round as saucers. "_What?_"

Finn nodded, even as he sighed and looked back out at the river. "The box the drug came in was marked with the words 'Chronic Lady'. Tonight, when I was last in the washroom, Sandy Ryerson came to me and offered me a free dose, saying if I liked it I could arrange to get more later, for a price, of course. The box he handed to me had the same 'Chronic Lady' marking on it as the one Mr. Schue had shown me in the locker room. Then Mr. Ryerson sucker punched me, saying if I needed a reference to make sure it was good quality, to ask Mr. Schuester since Mr. Ryerson had given him a free dose two and a half years ago, a dose Mr. Schue never bothered to return. Turns out Mr. Schue actually called him around the time we were gonna face off against Vocal Adrenaline the first time and asked for even more."

He turned back towards Rachel, watching as sheer and complete astonishment crossed her face and the wheels in her mind turned to connect all the dots. Admittedly, she finished the process faster than he did, and then she turned back to look up at him. "So...so he blackmailed you to...to join Glee?"

After running a hand through his hair in frustration, Finn spread his arms wide and shrugged. "There you have it. Once again, someone I trusted simply turned and stabbed me in the back to get ahead for themself. It seems to be a recurrent pattern in my life." He started to walk away and back to the pile of rocks he had dropped earlier, thinking maybe to throw a few more into the river, but Rachel's hand came up and stopped him by grasping him in the crook of the arm.

"Don't blame Mr. Schuester for all of it, Finn." She said, then turned her head down, seemingly afraid to meet his eyes. "I...I think I played a part in it too."

Finn frowned. "What are you talking about? How did you have anything to do with this? It's not like you were in his office when this shit went down."

Rachel shook her head, but hugged herself and stepped away from him a bit. "No, but...I threatened to quit Glee club at that time."

Finn cast a look of surprise in her direction. "But you love to sing, like, more than anyone in the world that I know. Why would you threaten to leave? And even so, what does that have to do with me and Mr. Schue?"

Rachel faced him, a lone tear running down her face, but her voice held firm as she spoke. "I...I told him I didn't want to graduate high school and not have anything to show for it. I gave him an ultimatum; find a male lead who could keep up with me, or I was going to move on to something else where I wasn't wasting my time." She bit her lip before continuing. "That happened about two days before you joined us."

For the second time that night, Finn felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach, even as his thoughts raced again to connect each action into a tangible chain of events he could see in his mind. Mr. Schuester had blackmailed him because he didn't want the glee club to lose _Rachel_; because losing her at the time meant losing the entire club. And he couldn't find anyone interested in joining, let alone someone half talented, so Mr. Schue used the only other option available to him once discovering Finn's singing abilities; _**force **_him to join.

Walking forward quickly from where she was standing, Rachel grabbed his arm, even as he stepped back in shock, and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, you have to understand at that time Artie and Kurt were _nowhere near_ as good as they are now and we were _desperate_ to add more members. You were untrained but obviously Mr. Schue heard the raw talent you possessed and knew you were the answer for us. Finn, when he brought you in for rehearsal and you sang that first time, I almost dropped my sheet music in shock. I had thought you were just this cute, dumb jock that believed carrying a tune meant picking up a CD and walking away. _Please _don't be mad at me."

The sound of her voice begging for forgiveness struck a chord within him and he found his initial distaste at what she had done dissolve instantly. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear even as he smiled at her. "Rach, I can't be mad at _you_."

Rachel eyed him, probably wondering if he was being truthful or not. "You're not mad?"

Finn shook his head as his smile grew slightly. "Well, I mean, sure, maybe what you said to Mr. Schue was the reason why he did what he did, but he's still the guy who chose_** how **_to do it. He's the one who pulled out a box of dope and threatened my entire future with it. You never asked him to do all that, you just asked him to find someone for the glee club. _**He's **_the one who decided on the method." He pulled her into a tight hug, tucking her head under his chin and held her close in his arms. "I just...just don't know what to do about all of this. It's painful to feel so used and conversed."

"Coerced." Rachel corrected for him as she turned her head and placed it on his chest near his heart. She stayed that way for a minute before she turned to look up at him. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I'm truly thankful he was so underhanded."

Stunned, Finn pulled her away by the shoulders and regarded her with annoyance. "Thankful? You're thankful that our teacher decided to threaten me? Threatened to destroy my entire future over a school _club? _Thankful that he all but held a gun to my head and forced me into something I didn't want at the time?"

Rachel shrugged slightly. Her small hands reached up to take his left hand off her shoulder and placed it over her heart, underneath both winter coats she still wore and against the soft, warm skin just above her breast. She turned her big brown eyes up to his in a loving gaze. "How about thankful that he found you in the first place? Thankful that he recognized your incredible talents and forced you to use them. Thankful that he didn't think you were just another dumb jock. Thankful that he took the time to search you out, not knowing if he would succeed or fail." Her voice got quiet and barely above a whisper. "Thankful that he introduced you to me, Finn. Without him, we probably never would have really gotten to know each other. We were in completely different social circles, if you could even describe my life back then as having a social circle. We might never have become friends." She stepped up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly on the lips before speaking again. "Never would have fallen in love. So yes, Finn, I'm thankful; very thankful, because it changed my life forever."

Another tear formed in Finn's eye, and he wiped it away quickly before pulling her into another tight hug, the truth of her words echoing in his ears as the realization that everything wonderful in his life right now could be traced back to that one act of Mr. Schue's. After a few minutes, he spoke again. "You're right. It led me to you, and I'll always be grateful for that." He pulled away and looked at her earnestly. "But it still _**hurts**_. I...I trusted him completely. Like, totally and completely. He's the first man I ever met that I wanted to model myself after. The first man to prove to me what being a man _really _was. The only other man I know like that is Burt. And now..." He sighed and looked across the water again. "I just...I'm just not sure I can trust him anymore after finding out about everything."

Rachel sighed as she snaked her arms under his tuxedo jacket. "Unfortunately, I know exactly how you feel, Finn."

Surprised a little at what she said, Finn turned his eyes down to regard her. "You do?"

She nodded against his chest. "Yes. Someone very close to my heart did the same thing to me; lied to me two years ago about something very important and never confessed to the truth until I discovered it for myself through other people."

A massive avalanche couldn't have chilled Finn any faster than Rachel's brief statement had. And the horrible thing about what she said was just how incredibly true it resonated through his mind to the very core of his being. Although the relationship with Mr. Schue was different, the general circumstances surrounding the events were almost identical. Two years ago Finn had lied to Rachel about Santana, and she had been completely devastated to discover the truth. Now, in a callous and bitter twist of irony, Finn was getting a dose of his own vile medicine. Two and a half years ago, he thought Mr. Schue was saving his ass by withholding evidence of drugs in his locker, all for simply agreeing to join a singing club, only for him to discover he had been blackmailed into joining the club by a single person who was determined to get what he wanted at any cost.

_This...this horrible, disgusting, sickening feeling of betrayal...__**THIS IS WHAT YOU DID TO RACHEL! **_

He couldn't have stopped the tears of remorse even if he'd tried as the insight of just how extremely deep he must have hurt his girlfriend shot straight through his heart. His shoulders started shaking with grief and guilt, and before he knew it he had collapsed on his knees, burying his face into her shoulder as body wracking sobs overtook him. "My God, Rach. I'm sorry. I'm so, so, _**so**_ sorry. For all of it. I never even..."

"Shhhh, it's okay, Finn. It's alright. I forgive you. I do. I promise I do." Rachel whispered quietly, holding him close and stroking the hair on the back of his neck as she let him release all of his misery and sorrow.

"I don't deserve it." Finn gasped through his sobs and tears, still clinging to her tightly as if afraid she'd flee at any moment. "I don't do anything for you. You're smart, you're talented, you're driven. You don't even need me in your life."

"Of course I do, Finn." She turned his head to look him in the eye, stroking his face as she spoke a bit more forcefully to ensure he heard her every word. "You do _**so much**_ for me. You keep me grounded and show me that there's life outside of myself; an entire world waiting for me to interact with and contribute to rather than just use to further my own selfish purposes. You show me that friendship and family and love are just as, if not more important, than pushing oneself for personal success." She smiled even as she wiped tears from his cheek and then touched her forehead with his. "You once told me I make you want to be a better person for _**you**_, make you want to push yourself to achieve more in life and get farther ahead. Finn, you make me want to be a better person for _**others**_. Make me want to put my goals and dreams on hold so I can make sure other people get the care, love and attention that _**they**_deserve. No one has ever opened my eyes and woke me up to everything and everyone around me like you did, Finn. Apart from your love, that's your greatest gift to me, and one I'll always cherish. Always."

Finn didn't think his powerful emotions for this petite brunette in front of him could ever get stronger than they had, but he was sorely mistaken. He would swear to anyone that in the short time they spent on the shore by the river he could actually feel the love he had for this small woman intensify to a level he never even thought possible. Without a doubt, she was the most incredible person he had ever known, and for her to declare to him her love and feelings this way made him feel small and unworthy of such intense passion. His arms scooped her into another tight hug and he buried his face into the crook of her neck. "I love you. I wish I could say more than that, but there's no other word. I love you. Love, love you." She nodded and returned his tight hug, and then he pulled away so he could cup her face with his hand and give her the longest, most intense and passionate kiss he could manage, trying to will every single feeling of friendship, happiness, delight, devotion, and love into the one single gesture. After a long, long couple of minutes, they reluctantly pulled away from each other to catch their breaths, and Rachel's eyes were wider than he had ever remembered them being previously.

"Wow! That...that was incredible!" She mumbled, looking at him with a new appreciation for his kisses.

He smiled his half smile, even as she wiped a tear away from his cheek. "_**You're**_ incredible." He said, enveloping her in another hug. "Thank you. Thank you for choosing me."

She melted into his arms and curled herself into his chest. "Thank you for choosing me!" She returned. They stood that way for several long minutes before he reluctantly let her pull away. "Will you do me a favour?" She asked, tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear.

"Anything." He said, this time without hesitation while the fingers of his left hand entwined with the fingers of her right one.

She bit her lip, seeming a little nervous, then blurted out something he never would have expected. "Talk to Mr. Schue. Clear this up. Try...try to forgive him. I know what he did was unethical, but...but it's Mr. Schue we're talking about. I don't want your anger festering inside you when I'm sure he'd be more than willing to discuss things with you."

Finn hesitated for a minute. The pain of betrayal was still sharp, but it was tempered now when he remembered that this ache in his chest was something he himself had unintentionally caused in Rachel, likely even more-so due to the intimate nature of their relationship. Yet she had forgiven him, despite having every reason to end their relationship and move on to someone or something more deserving. She had stayed by his side and worked things through with him. The least he could do was try to be like her in regards to his mentor. Finally, Finn nodded. "Alright. I'll talk to him."

Rachel smiled and tip-toed up to give him another soft kiss on the lips. "Thank you." She said simply before pulling him down into another long, lingering, passionate kiss.

(And so had Finn been assigned Step 7, by far the most profound and educational step in Rachel's 7 Step Program).

* * *

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged! Thanks. :) **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N - Well, this story is starting to come together and headed for the big old "FIN" sign at the bottom, but since I have a couple other ideas floating around for stories, that may not be such a bad thing. Not a bunch of Finchel in this chapter, but lots in the next, so please bear with me. Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews, as it's greatly appreciated. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer - See Chapter 1 if necessary. **

* * *

Finn looked down the hall at school and towards the choir room, where Mr. Schue's office was located just inside. It was Monday morning and Finn had decided when he awoke that the sooner he completed this task while it was still fresh in his mind, the better. Rachel had agreed to walk him down to Mr. Schue's office after another early morning basketball practice (which actually helped to...wait, what was the word Rachel had used? 'Alleviate' the stress of this meeting...that was a cool word, too). He didn't want to go through endless classes and glee club practices still harbouring ill feelings towards his mentor, but this meeting also wasn't something he was eager to proceed with.

As if sensing his hesitation and second guessing, he received a squeeze of encouragement from Rachel's small hand in his. "It's going to be alright, Finn. This can't possibly be any harder than it was for you and I the weekend before last."

"No, but..." Finn turned towards her and looked at her carefully, wondering how it was she could be so fearless in these types of situations. Never had he been aware of a time when she retreated from facing problems and challenges in life head on. She had confronted Dakota Stanley face to face and flatly refused to be a part of his ridiculous demands for glee club, firing him directly with a smile and wave of her hand; she had had no problems walking right up to the mother she never knew and proclaiming loud enough for all to hear that she was her daughter (he'd heard that story twice...once from Mercedes and once from Quinn); had admitted during the summer they started dating that she had lied to him and never really had been with Jesse sexually; walked into a choir room full of glee students and apologized for the whole Sunshine incident (boy did he have to do some fast talking to even get the group to agree to listen) and when she discovered everything about him and Santana, had merely taken a day to collect herself before demanding that they meet over breakfast to discuss things as adults (a day he will always remember for becoming a more mature person and simply communicating honestly about things). She was definitely a far more courageous soul than he could ever imagine being himself; a role model and hero to him, whether she realized it or not. He sighed and used his free hand to adjust his backpack on his shoulder. "I just don't even know how to start things off." He admitted.

Rachel smiled, tiptoed up and kissed him on the lips again. "Simple. Ask why. Now go over there and wait for him to show up before I handcuff you to the door." She kissed him again, then put her hand on his back and pushed him forward. As he started walking, he turned back to smile thankfully, and she waved, smiling herself before turning on her feet and heading towards her locker.

He walked to the door and was surprised to find it was already slightly ajar. Tentatively, he knocked against it and opened it just enough to see two people inside. There was Mr. Schuester sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair with his head resting on his right arm, supported by the chair's armrest, and Miss Holiday sitting on his desk in front of him, legs crossed, holding his other hand while looking down at him sympathetically. He cleared his throat and both teachers suddenly turned towards him.

"Finn! Hi!" Miss Holiday said as she smiled and jumped off Mr. Schuester's desk. "How was your weekend?"

"Hi, Miss Holiday." Finn returned with his lopsided grin. "It was...uh, well, interesting, if nothing else."

Miss Holiday nodded even as she looked back at Mr. Schuester, who was regarding Finn with a mixture of worry, fear and nervousness. "Yes, I understand you two have a lot to talk about, so I'll leave you to it." She pushed over a large Starbuck's coffee towards the Spanish teacher and grabbed her own off his desk, whispering in a not-so-quiet manner to Mr. Schuester, "Now or never, Julio." She smiled sweetly at him, and then dodged around Finn while exiting. "See you in English class, Finn."

"Yeah, see ya." Finn watched her leave, and then turned towards Mr. Schuester, one eyebrow raised in confusion. "Julio? Is that your middle name or something?"

Mr. Schuester smiled slightly and, after a sip of his coffee, he explained. "I made the mistake of singing something in Spanish for her a couple weeks ago, and she told me my voice was nicer than Julio Iglesias. Now that's her new pet name for me, and I can't decide if it's more annoying or endearing." Mr. Schuester shrugged, and motioned for Finn to sit. "I guess we really need to talk, don't we?"

Finn took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair before depositing his book bag on the floor in front of Mr. Schuester's desk and collapsing into the chair opposite him. "Yeah, I guess we do."

They were both quiet for a moment, regarding each other and deciding what the next step should be. Finn recalled how, two and a half years ago, this was exactly the same position where he had been when the drugs were shown to him and everything regarding glee had begun. His life had been completely changed that day, though he didn't know at the time it had been through lies and deceit, and so here they were again, face to face, ready to confront old demons and try to understand each other.

Much like the conversation with Rachel had started Mr. Schuester leaned forward and interrupted his thoughts before they had even become clear in Finn's mind. "Finn, let me just start by saying that I'm really very sorry for my actions all those months ago. There's nothing I can say or excuse I can give that will justify such an unethical decision on my part. I never intended you to find out, frankly, which I know sounds bad, but I tried my best to make up for everything by being there for you in every way possible after that moment. It is, without a doubt, the darkest, blackest and most underhanded thing I've ever done, and I apologize if I caused you any pain."

Finn released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, but stayed seated in the chair, slouching against the backrest. He appreciated the apology that his teach was giving, but he had to follow through with questions that had been circling in his head ever since Saturday night. "Why, Mr. Schue? Why did you feel the need to...to stoop to that level?"

Mr. Schue gave him a face and leaned back in his own chair, taking another sip of coffee. "You have to ask? Finn, you remember what this school was like back then, right? Glee club was a group for those students who were the lowest of the low; the social outcasts, the pariahs of this school. No one was ever going to willingly join us at that time, least of all the school's quarterback. Even Sue Sylvester told me the glee kids belonged in the 'sub-basement' of the social hierarchy here, and Principal Figgins didn't care a whit for the group because we didn't bring in any cash or alumni support. Glee at this school was practically irrelevant by the time I returned with my teaching degree in hand. When Sandy was released from teaching and the club was up for grabs for a new instructor, I sought it out because I wanted to restore its former glory; back to those days when the club was just as popular as the star athletes and cheerleaders. Remind people that it was okay to be part of something fun, artistic and creative. We had a good core of five students, and I knew Rachel's voice alone could steal competitions for us. The only thing we didn't have at the time was a really strong male lead. Kurt hadn't come into his voice quite yet, and Artie was still this shy kid who felt unequal to any task given him. When I heard you in the shower, well..." Mr. Schue, smiled slightly, but then it disappeared again. "I honestly didn't think you would agree to join any other way, Finn. Even if I had gotten down on my knees and begged. So I put my hands in my pockets and went to sit by your locker, hoping to change your mind, when my hand came into contact with the box Sandy had given me. I guess..." He shrugged slightly. "I guess my emotions and desires got the better of me, Finn."

"So, you decided to threaten me?" Finn came forward in his chair as he eyed his teacher, trying to remember to keep his voice even and talking normally, like an adult, despite the anger swirling through him. "You blackmailed me, Mr. Schue! You made me believe that you were about to destroy my entire future over drugs in my locker that you _knew_ weren't even mine. You knew me even before glee club, Mr. Schue. I've been in your Spanish class since freshman year. I already thought you were a super-cool teacher, and I thought I was seeing more of that as a sophomore when you offered me a way out without telling the school or my Mom about the drugs. Now I find out it was all untrue? What if I'd chosen the detentions, Mr. Schue? Would you have done it? Told everyone there were drugs in my locker, given me six weeks detention, ruin my reputation, destroy what faith my Mom had in me and put a letter on my file that would eliminate any chance I might have had for college?"

Mr. Schuester looked down at his desk for a moment, and then shook his head before his eyes met Finn's. "No, I wouldn't have."

Finn's mouth dropped open, and he sat back in his chair. "So...it was** _all _**a lie? Everything?"

Mr. Schuester thought about that for a moment, his eyes glancing up at the ceiling as he decided on his next words. "It was...a bluff, Finn. Even as I said the words, I knew I was bluffing. I would never have done something like that to a student who didn't deserve it."

"Like a poker game." Finn nodded, but that same stomach-twisting, disgusted feeling coming back to him. Mr. Schuester just admitted it...he had playedhim, all to get glee off the ground and back into the school.

""Essentially, yes. And I know it looks and sounds bad-"

"Mr. Schue," Finn interrupted his teacher, shaking his head, "all my life I've had people bluff and play me due to my lack of smarts and I'll admit I've swallowed some pretty awful crap, too. When I was thirteen one of my 'friends' told me to come to a Halloween party in full Star Trek uniform, complete with pointed ears, only for me to get there and be the laughing stock of everyone else who was dressed normally. When I was ten the first girl I had a crush on told me if I stole her and her friends some candy from 7-11 they'd let me hang out with them and vouch for me if I was caught, and when the manager did catch us eating it at the back of the store, they simply pointed to me and said I had done it while they all rode away on their bikes. When I was twelve I believed a lawn care worker when he said he'd take care of my Mom and me, only to see him drive past her house two weeks later with another woman beside him in his truck, _laughing_ at us. And at sixteen, I believed Quinn when she told me I'd impregnated her through not only two swimsuits but a hot tub full of water." Finn's eyes glared at his teacher, causing Mr. Schuester to wince uncomfortably. "Now my teacher, my _**favourite **_teacher, sits there and admits that he did the same thing? He played me, bluffing a threat he would never follow through so he could fill up glee club? Yeah, it sounds and looks pretty _**fucking**_ bad, Mr. Schue."

His teacher took in a deep breath, swallowing some more coffee and then setting it down on his desk. "I've never, _**never **_thought of you as gullible or unintelligent Finn, just underexposed to many things in life most of us take for granted. In fact, I admire how trusting you are of other people. It's a rare gift that, believe it or not, will probably take you farther in life than you might think." Mr. Schuester looked him in the eyes again. "I'm sorry. Really, truly sorry for everything that's happened. If there were better words to express how much I regret how I hurt you, Finn, I'd use them." With that, he reached into his leather satchel and pulled out an envelope before standing and then opening the door to the office. "Come on."

Finn's eyes went wide with confusion even as he stood. "Where are we going?"

Mr. Schuester indicated the letter. "It's time I own up to what I did to you Finn. It was unethical and unprofessional, and I don't deserve to work in a setting such as this if I can't be trusted with the physical, mental and emotional well being of the kids at school. I've broken a bond of trust that develops between teachers and students, and what's worse is I've done it with one of my favourite students."

At his words, Finn couldn't help but feel a warm glow of pride and affection swell within him. He had once been told by Mr. Schue that he reminded him of himself, but Mr. Schuester had never called anyone one of his favourite students. Not until now. Looking curiously at the envelope, Finn turned back to his teacher. "So, how's this going to help?"

Swallowing, Mr. Schuester squared his shoulders. "I'm going to resign, Finn. It might be hard to find another job requiring an education degree and not be around kids, but I searched on the internet last night and saw a few not far from Lima. It's time I try my hand at something else."

That was enough for Finn. Acting without thinking, Finn snatched the letter out of his teacher's hands and began to rip it up, first in half, then into quarters, then into eighths, then into pieces as small as he could possibly make them, before forcefully shoving them into the garbage can on the floor beside him. He spun on Mr. Schuester with blazing eyes. "Have you gone certifiable?"

Mr. Schuester took a step back and cocked his head slightly to the side, like he always did when he was unsure what the person in front of him was going to do or say next. "You got that one from Rachel didn't you?"

"It fits the occasion." Finn returned as he stepped past his teacher and closed the office door again, more forcefully than he intended. Turning again towards his teacher, he looked down into his eyes. "Quitting is the coward's way out, Mr. Schue. Trust me, I know, I've been there; I quit glee when things with Quinn and Puck came out, and I quit on Rachel when things between us were tense right after Quinn and I wasn't sure what I wanted, and then I almost quit on Kurt twice; once when his dad and my mom started dating, and once when he was being bullied here by Karofsky, all because I was afraid of how change was going to affect me and how people would regard me. It's crap, Mr. Schue. You can't forfeit the whole game just because you fumbled the ball."

Mr. Schuester smiled at his student, but his eyes remained sad. "It's a little different in the adult world of employment, Finn. Like I said, as a teacher I took an oath to uphold the morals and principles of everything that entails, ensuring that students would be educated in a safe environment. I didn't provide that for you, and in the process I broke the trust involved."

"Nothing that Coach Sylvester hasn't done a thousand times over, all on purpose, I'm sure." Finn snapped back, his emotions starting to get the better of him before he ran his hand through his hair again in frustration and calmed himself down with another deep breath. "Mr. Schue, it was one mistake; yeah, it hurt me to find out but it was _**one **_mistake. It happened a long time ago, and really, my life would be completely different if you _**hadn't**_ planted those drugs in my locker. I never would have joined glee, I never would have tried to sing and perform anywhere in front of people, I wouldn't be even half as good a drummer now as I am, I never would have fallen in love with Rachel and I wouldn't even have thought it possible to get into college. I'd still be the typical dumb jock who would see this year as the pinnacle of success in life and feel that everything after graduation is just a waste of time."

"Pinnacle of success?" Mr. Schuester grinned widely at Finn. "Now that I _**know **_you got from Rachel."

Finn shrugged and smiled a bit himself. "See, even my vocabulary is improving because of glee." Finn shoved his hands in his pockets as he turned and stared at the floor in front of his feet. "Despite what you did, Mr. Schue, you believed in me. And I really needed that because no one else did at that time except my Mom, but she has to because it's her duty or something. You helped to change how I saw myself. The only other person who's really done that is Rachel, but _**you **_were the first. And if you did that to me, and did that for me, I know you can do that for other students. Even it if it's just for one other student, it would be worth it. But you can't do that for anyone if you resign."

He watched as Mr. Schuester cast his eyes down and nodded slightly, a shaky breath coming to him and the trace of a tear forming in his eye. When he looked back up into Finn's eyes, he smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Finn, for believing in me too." He clapped the quarterback on the shoulder warmly and squeezed, and this time Finn returned the smile and then embraced his teacher in a manly hug, once again feeling of immense sense of pride and warmth fill him.

After a moment, the two men stepped away from each other and Finn nodded at his teacher before reaching down to grab his book bag. "I'm glad we talked, Mr. Schue. Really. I just...just needed you to know that I was hurt by what happened. And needed to hear you say you understood, I guess."

Mr. Schuester's hand was still resting on his shoulder, and he nodded himself. "I do hear you Finn, and I do apologize for it. Truly. And I'm really very proud of you, Finn. What you've said to me really helps validate how I feel about teaching. It makes it all worthwhile for me."

Making a mental note to check his IPod dictionary app for the word 'validate', Finn swallowed a shaky breath and shouldered his bag. "Well, we need you for Regionals and Nationals, too, so you know, I can't just think of myself."

Mr. Schuester gave his own half smile as he returned to his desk and grabbed his leather satchel. "You know Finn, if there's anything I can do to make this up to you, you just have to name it. Really. Anything at all."

Finn's mouth turned into a wicked half-smile at his teacher, and he could see Mr. Schuester's face turn from almost fatherly affection to teacher-like concern and worry. "Oh, trust me Mr. Schue, there's at least a _**few**_ favours I'm gonna be asking for."

**XXXXX**

Collecting her tray of vegetable stir fry and a bottle of V8, Rachel walked towards the 'glee' table for lunch in the school cafeteria. Knowing Finn wouldn't be able to meet her until later as he had an appointment with Mrs. Pillsbury-Howe regarding college applications, she searched out some of her other cohorts from the club. She noticed Quinn and Brittany sitting at the one table, both staring at the person across from them. Turning towards the other person, Rachel noticed Santana, who had set aside her own lunch and had her arms wrapped around herself, staring at the cell phone on her lunch tray as if it was some insect which was about ready to bite her hand. "Hey guys." Rachel called out, and was pleasantly surprised at the small wave from Brittany and nod of recognition from Quinn. "Mind if I join you?"

Brittany smiled and chirped "Of course, you can." Quinn gave a small inviting motion to the chair next to Santana, indicating she didn't mind. Normally that wouldn't have been quite enough for Rachel to join people for a meal, but seeing as this was leaps and bounds ahead of where she was with the three cheerleaders two years ago, she took the opportunity to try and enjoy their company during lunch.

Rachel sat down and looked at both Quinn and Brittany, neither of whom had removed their eyes from the Latino cheerleader. Rachel took a bite of her stir-fry and then glanced over at Santana. "Everything all right?" She asked after swallowing her food.

Quinn shrugged and shook her head slightly. "I don't know. I've never seen Santana act like this before. It's like she's in a trance. She hasn't eaten any of her lunch and just keeps muttering something unintelligible under her breath."

Looking over at the person beside her, Rachel watched as Santana continued to stare at the cell phone. A small red light was flashing at the top corner, indicating a message had been received recently, and, yes, she was definitely mumbling something that was not loud enough to be heard.

Brittany leaned into where Quinn and Rachel were both seated watching the Latino cheerleader and spoke. "You know, I saw this documentary that showed how aliens hypnotized people with flashing red lights before stealing them away to probe them aboard the mother-ship. Do you think we should give her a jar of Vaseline and write instructions for them so they won't hurt her?"

Rachel was stunned silent by the comments of the blonde cheerio, but Quinn closed her eyes and took a breath to stifle a laugh while patting Brittany on the shoulder. "Sure, Brit, why don't you start on that?" Brittany beamed happily at her and reached into her book bag for a piece of paper and some coloured pens while Quinn turned more towards Rachel. "Santana's been staring at that little red light for five minutes and muttering for the last two. Any ideas what could be eating her up?"

"I _**am**_ right here, you know." Santana finally acknowledged them all, though she didn't turn her head away from the blinking light in front of her.

Quinn smiled slightly. "Oh, so you _**do **_speak. I was wondering if I should start worrying or celebrating."

"Can it, Barbie!" Santana shot back, still staring at the phone. She sighed and leaned her head back in her chair as her hands covered her face again. "I can't believe this. I can't believe this is happening. I've wondered for two years and now I might finally have an answer. And I'm such an idiot because I'm not sure I _**want **_an answer now."

Quinn's mouth formed an 'o' in surprise as she raised an eyebrow and exchanged a slightly worried look with Rachel. "Well, that cleared things up for me."

Rachel suddenly clued into Santana's reactions. They weren't that dissimilar to how she had behaved in the bathroom last week, and a smile began to grace her lips. "Really? You did it? You asked Mike for the contact info?"

Quinn's eyebrows knit in confusion over her nose even as she swallowed a bite of her own stir-fry. "Info? What info?"

"This is all your fault, you know, _**Dwarf**_." Santana whirled on Rachel, pointing an accusing finger at her. "If you had just kept your big trap under that big nose of yours shut, I wouldn't be in this predicament."

Rachel cast an annoyed look, even as she dropped her fork on her plate and crossed her arms. "I only asked him to provide you the information, _**Nympho**_. As I recall, in order to actually get it into your own hand, you had to approach him and ask for it yourself. And I'm not the one who followed through with re-establishing ties to someone who's moved away, so don't blame this on me!"

"Moved away?" Quinn asked in a confused voice. Then suddenly she clued into what was happening and smiled excitedly herself to the two girls across from her. "Seriously? You called Matt? But it's been, what, two years since you broke things off? That's so..." Suddenly her eyebrows knit together in confusion again and genuine surprise registered on her face. "So strangely uncharacteristic of you. I've never seen you try to re-establish contact with an ex before, except for Puck, but that's more just a physical thing that you..." Quinn noticed the extreme glare she was receiving from Santana, so she smiled to herself again and opened her water bottle. "Never mind." She said in a sing-songy voice as she gulped a few sips to keep herself silent.

Suddenly Brittany looked up from where she was carefully writing out instructions and glanced at the three of them. "You got a message from Matt? Is he aboard the mother ship, too? Is that why he wasn't able to come back to glee?"

Santana groaned and collapsed her head into her crossed arms on the table in front of her. Rachel smiled and ate another bite of her stir-fry while Quinn refocused Brittany on the Vaseline instructions before turning back to the other two. "So when did you call him? What did he say?"

"Nothing!" Santana spat as she lifted her head up out of her arms. "All I got when I finally called was his voicemail, so I just said hi and that if he wanted to call me back sometime to go ahead as I missed hearing from him. I was so _**lame**_ on the phone. I must have sounded like some kind of desperate stalker or something."

Quinn took another sip of water before shaking her head. "Stalkers don't normally take two years off before trying to call someone again."

Rachel nodded at what Quinn was saying as she swallowed her bite of stir-fry. "Really, Santana, there's only one thing you can do; pick up the phone and listen to the message."

Santana snorted. "Easy for you to say. You've been with the same guy for the last two years with only a few bumps in the road between you. You didn't drive a stake through his heart in front of his sister."

"What's the worst that could happen, Santana?" Rachel replied, setting her fork down on her plate and sipping her V8 juice. "Really and seriously, what's the absolute worst that could happen?"

Quinn shrugged as she nibbled on her piece of garlic bread. "You mean other than him cursing a blue streak for the next five minutes, wrapping up some very insulting speech about how dare you have the nerve to call him after all that's happened and to not bother trying again on pain of being systematically hunted down and disembowelled in the most torturous way possible?"

Santana's look actually grew slightly worried at Quinn's words and she glanced at Rachel. "I...I don't _**think**_ he would say that, but...

"Or maybe he'll declare his undying love for you and promise to steal a car and come back to Lima to sweep you off your feet, marry you and whisk you away to a land of manicured lawns and 2.5 children." Quinn suggested, pushing a bite of her own stir-fry onto her fork with the remains of her bread.

Santana frowned slightly at the thought. "Maybe after college and getting careers started and...wait, what the hell am I saying? I-" Both Rachel and Quinn giggled as Santana shot them an irritated glare and crossed her arms. "Well, it's better than option one, that's for sure."

Rachel re-capped her V8 juice and picked up her fork again. "I think what Quinn's hinting at is that if you're really nervous or scared about something and want to know the probable outcome, you just think about the worst and best possible scenarios out there, and the reality of it will likely be somewhere in between. He's not going to explode at you in anger after two years, nor is he likely to jump in a car and drive here to propose marriage. So really, why torture yourself by not listening to the message?"

Santana cast spiteful looks at both Quinn and Rachel before sighing noisily and picking up her phone, punching in her voicemail code. "I hate both of you."

"Mmm-hmmm." Both Quinn and Rachel said at the exact same time as they returned to their lunches and ate another bite of food.

"There!" Brittany exclaimed happily and loudly after she finished colouring the letters on top of the piece of paper with a pink pen. She held up the colourfully written list so the other three could bear witness to the fruits of her labour. "Finished. Instructions on how to safely probe a human being anally!"

The cafeteria grew noticeably quieter around them and about thirty to fifty pair of eyes turned towards their way to regard the four of them curiously. Quinn dropped her fork on her plate noisily before burying her face in her hands in embarrassment, while Rachel almost choked on her bite of stir-fry before blushing furiously, motioning for Brittany to be quiet and put away the paper she was working on. Santana however, seemed rather oblivious to the situation as all her concentration was centred on listening to her cell phone. After a minute, she smiled, and then hid a giggle in her hand. Quinn and Rachel eyed each other; both smiling at the infectious nature of Santana's stunned but happy reaction. Then suddenly, Santana choked a soft sob and wiped her eye. She pulled the phone away and pressed the 'end' button, cutting the connection. She was still smiling as she grabbed a paper napkin and dabbed the corners of her eyes.

Rachel and Quinn both regarded her as they awaited their friend to say something or anything about the situation at hand. Finally, Santana turned towards them. "He says he'd like to talk to me, too. He's...he's coming back to meet some of his family for a reunion the weekend after next and wanted to know if I'd go for coffee with him before his get-together."

Rachel squealed with delight and pulled Santana into a hug, both girls bubbly with excitement. Quinn's grin stretched across her face and she sat back against her chair, sipping her water. "So it's true. The Cheerio's assistant captain has finally admitted she fell for a boy and wants to be with him. I never thought I'd see the day." Afterwards, she shrugged and then amended, "well, at least not for another ten years or so."

"Ten years?" Brittany asked, looking up from studying her instruction list as if suddenly realizing there was a conversation around her. "Is that how long aliens take to do an anal probe? Shouldn't it be less with their advanced technical thingies?"

* * *

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encourgaged. Thanks. :) **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N - So this is the last major chapter of the story. I'm so thankful to everyone who's followed it all the way through and gotten to this point and provided the great reviews and responses. Just so you know, yes, I do have other story ideas circling through my mind, and I will start on that in a week or so, but I think I need a bit of a break, first. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and the 'mini' chapter which comes afterwards. I would have called it an epilogue, but realized I'm not sure where the charcaters in this A/U are going just quite yet, so instead I wrote a scene that had gone through my mind since I began this story but couldn't fit in anywhere else **

**Disclaimer - See Chapter 1 if necessary. **

* * *

Puck wheeled Artie into the library so the two of them could continue on with his geometry tutoring during their spare period. Most of these sessions had turned more into discussions lately as Puck was, he felt, really starting to get the hang of how everything regarding shapes and angles worked. And it proved to be very lucrative for him at the pool table too; he had earned an extra hundred dollars over the weekend, playing a couple of college freshman at the teen club two nights before and taking them both for everything they had in their wallets.

"Hey, Dude." Artie reached up and tapped his shoulder from in front of him. "Check it out. Finn's in the library looking at something."

"Really?" Puck's eyebrows lifted in shock. "Since when did Frankenteen even know there _was _a library here at school?" Before waiting for further comments from his wheel-chaired friend, Puck pushed him right over to the table and then managed to poke Finn on his right shoulder before plopping into the chair on his left side. "Finnster! How'd the charity auction, go? Did you hook up with a nice guy? Did you remember to use lots of KY Jelly?"

"No!" Finn cast the stinkeye at Puck, causing the other teen to laugh quietly. "Actually, I met a lot of people there, not the least of which was Morgan Rogers."

Puck and Artie exchanged looks of jealousy and their mouths dropped in astonishment. "You fucking bastard!" Puck shoved Finn on his shoulder, causing the quarterback to laugh. "What the fuck was he doing there?"

"Supporting his sister; she's a lesbian, so he agreed to take part in the auction, too. Got the highest bid, of course."

"And what about your bid?" Artie asked pointedly even as he pulled out some school books from the backpack behind his wheelchair. "Did you manage to get off Scott free?"

"Yeah, how did the whole 'offending everybody' thing work out? Were you able to pull it off, or did you chicken out?" Puck asked as he placed his backpack on the table.

Smiling, Finn scratched his head just above his ear. "No, I went through with it, and I tried to offend everyone, not the least of which was Mr. Ryerson as he had been giving me the look of a child molester all night, but it didn't work."

Artie brought his head up from where he was turning to the correct chapters in his book. "Didn't work? Did I get the arrangement wrong or something?"

Finn shook his head. "Nah man, the music was fine, honest. The band had no problems with it. It's just the song didn't offend anybody_. _It was actually considered the performance of the night. I had the whole crowd dancing around the stage by the time I finished."

Puck and Artie turned and again regarded each other in surprise. "I thought for sure that song would have had the opposite effect. It so objectifies women and encourages poor behaviour. " Artie admitted, which caused Puck to shrug in response. They both turned back to Finn. "So then, someone bid on you?"

"Are you kidding?" Finn chuckled. "It was like a damn war going on out there. People were even jumping bids by three to five hundred dollars without any prompting."

"So who was stupid enough to pay for you?" Puck asked, slapping the back of his hand against Finn's shoulder, which the quarterback ignored. "And for how much?"

Finn rolled his eyes and then smiled smugly, even as he put away what looked like some sort of scholarship application form. "Actually, it was Rachel. Her recital rehearsal was moved to the morning, so she was able to be there. Bought me for five grand."

"No shit?" Puck said quietly. "How'd she pull that off? I know she does some work with the elementary and junior schools, but I'm pretty sure she's not pulling in _**that**_ kind of money."

"All part of her plan, apparently." Finn shrugged as he re-capped his pen. "She has a successful uncle who agreed to bid of me and then let her steal me away for the rest of the night." Finn leaned in closer to both Artie and Puck and spoke quietly. "And man, you should have seen her dress! Better than lingerie by a fucking mile!"

"Fuck me!" Puck retorted loudly, then ducked slightly and glanced around to ensure he wasn't heard by the librarian lest he incur her wrath. He'd had a run-in with the old bat a few times now, and getting caught in the utility closet with the now dismissed college practicum student just a week ago hadn't exactly endeared him to her heart. He playfully shoved Finn again, which earned another laugh from the quarterback. "She actually planned the whole thing? Pretty devious of her. I didn't think she had it in her to do something like that."

"Hey, it meant I wasn't in the arms of a man all night, so I sure as hell wasn't going to complain." Finn turned his palms out in surrender. "It actually wasn't too bad a night."

Almost right on cue and out of nowhere, startling both Puck and Artie, Rachel walked through one of the stacks of books from the far side of the library. Finn looked up in surprise, but before he could say anything, she leaned over and crushed her lips to his in a steamy, passionate kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and gripping the fabric at the back of his shirt tightly; so fervent was the kiss that it was even making Puck uncomfortable. She pulled away from a stunned Finn for a moment before turning to Puck and Artie, smiling mischievously. "May I borrow him for about ten minutes or so? Thanks." With that, she gave Finn another lusty kiss and pulled the willing quarterback out of his seat by the lapels of his shirt, continuing to kiss him as she guided him across the floor and towards the utility closet in the far wall. With a final kiss, the two of them fumbled with the doorknob before finally opening the closet door and disappearing inside.

"Ugh!" Puck made a disgusted face and turned from the closet, shaking his head. He couldn't help but to feel violated after watching such a sickeningly sweet public display of affection, and began to rub his eyes to try and erase the images burned therein.

Artie simply sat in his wheelchair, his mouth hanging open, and a combined look of both utter disbelief and slight disgust. "Did that **_really _**just happen? They just went into the utility closet?"

Puck shrugged. "It's not too uncomfortable in there. I tried it out with the college practicum student last week and-"

"I'm _**not **_talking about the closet, knucklehead!" Artie interrupted him after a slight groan of frustration. "I'm talking about Rachel actually pulling Finn out of his chair and into the closet to...to... " Artie shook his head to also wipe the vision out of his mind, and then leaned in closer to Puck, whispering. "You don't think she's trying to...you know...have sex with him in there or something, do you?"

Suddenly they heard a 'SLAP' followed by a loud "OW!" in a male voice, in turn followed by muffled, angry words in a female voice from behind the door. Puck glanced back at the door, then grinned widely at Artie even as he unzipped his book-bag and pulled out his own geometry notes. 'Nah, Berry's just pissed at him, so it's just, you know, same ole' same ole'."

**XXXXX**

Finn rubbed his left cheek where Rachel had suddenly given him a slap to the face. He fumbled around with one hand for the light to the closet for a moment and then, after finally locating it, pulled the string and turned it on. About a foot away from him stood a _**very**_ upset looking Rachel, fire in her eyes and arms crossed over her blue kitten animal print sweater. "Geez, Rach, did you have to-"

"You're lucky I didn't try to kick you in the groin with my ballet points, Finnegan!" She rolled her eyes, threw her hands in the air and then placed them on her hips. "You were trying to _**offend**_ people with your choice of song at the auction?"

_Aw, shit! She overheard us at the damn library table, didn't she? I swear if Karma was a person I'd kick his ass from here to Antarctica! _Tentatively stretching out his jaw muscles, he was relieved to see they didn't hurt too badly, and so surmised Rachel probably hadn't slapped him quite as hard as he first thought. He winced as he turned his eyes up to hers. "Uh, well, there's probably not much point in denying it if you heard us, is there?"

"Explain yourself!" Rachel commanded, the steel in her voice and look of fury over her face sending clear signals to Finn that he had better have a really good explanation.

Finn rubbed a hand on the back of his neck in embarrassment, averting his eyes from where hers were trying to bore straight through his head. "Okay, first off I couldn't find a big band song that I liked, so I started thinking about other songs for the auction. And then I remembered that one by Buckcherry and thought that maybe there'd be a chance of getting out of the whole 'date a guy' thing if none of them liked me or didn't bid on me, so Artie arranged a big band version of it for the night. But hey, it totally backfired on me anyway, and I attracted the second highest bid, so there's really nothing to get _**that **_upset about, is there?"

"Just for that comment right there, you deserve to be slapped again!" Rachel took a step forward but stopped when Finn backed up and raised his hands defensively, palms out.

"Whoa, whoa, okay, alright, hands stay by your side, please, okay? I get it. You're mad. I'm sorry. I didn't think it through and-"

"No Finn, you didn't think it through in the slightest!" Rachel closed her eyes and put her hand on her forehead, taking a deep breath before facing him again. "Finn, my dads and so many others in the gay and lesbian community have been bullied, ridiculed, ostracized and discriminated against for so long, all because they live a lifestyle that isn't completely accepted by the norm. If you think what Karofsky did to Kurt was bad, imagine that a hundred times over and you might have an _**inkling **_of the extremes my fathers went through back in the eighties when they had to come to terms with their sexuality. This was at a time when even celebrities like George Michael, Freddy Mercury and Elton John were afraid to be open and honest about themselves and they had the money and influence to get away with it. It's still an issue to this day, decades later. Just watch the news and learn what goes on in schools across the country!" She took another breath, and then regarded him in a manner more hurt than angry. "Sometimes I feel you really, _**really **_need to grow up, Finn."

"Oh, says the girl who hauled her boyfriend into a closet to slap him across the face!" Finn shot back with a hint of anger and frustration.

"Finn, this was an important thing I asked you to do; important for both me _**and**_ my fathers, and although you did an admirable job overall, it really hurts me to know that you didn't take this seriously from the outset."

"That's not fair, Rach. I'm good friends with your fathers, I hang out with Blaine when I can and Kurt, my own step-brother is gay. I got dressed up in a Lady Gaga costume and paraded around school in it all over this very issue. I do take it seriously."

Rachel gave him a sad look as she stepped over to the closet door. "Then maybe it's just _**me**_ you don't take seriously. And that hurts even more." With that, she opened the closet door and stormed away, breezing past Artie and Puck without acknowledging them and then straight out the library entrance.

Finn emerged and slowly walked over to where Artie and Puck sat, both with their geometry notes and tools scattered over the table, but neither working on their notebooks as they instead were both regarding him. He collapsed into the chair he had previously occupied and shook his head. "God, I just can't seem to win no matter what. It's like the karma police won't cut me any slack at all."

Puck dropped his pencil and clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, it'll blow over, man. How many times has this happened already? She'll get over herself, don't worry."

Artie nodded in agreement. "I have to concur with Puck's analysis. This is a predictable pattern for you guys. You mess up, she gets upset, you ask her how to make up for it, she tells you, you do it, and then all is forgiven. It's practically a mathematical formula. You solved the last one, so now you just have to move on to the next one."

Mulling over Artie's explanation, Finn found an important element of truth in the metaphor Artie had supplied, and metaphors were important (if Rachel was to be believed, at least). For some reason, though, the series of events Artie had described kept replaying in his mind over and over again. _I mess up, she gets upset, I ask how to make up for it, she tells me, I do it, and then all is forgiven. Seems like a long formula. I mess up, she gets upset, I ask, she tells, I do, then forgiven. I mess up, she gets upset...wait, what if...can I shorten the process? I mess up, she gets upset, _**I do something about it**_, and then...faster forgiveness? _It seemed right then that his Mom's words flew back into his mind from the conversation they had had before his breakfast meeting with Rachel. _"__If this is serious for both of you, _**be serious**_ about it."_

Finn smiled to himself suddenly. "Definitely worth a shot!" Finn proclaimed aloud as he grabbed his cell phone and began scrolling through his list of contacts.

"What's worth a shot?" Artie asked as he and Puck looked at him in questioningly.

"Reducing the formula." Finn replied absently as he found the number he was looking for, dialled it and then held the phone to his ear. His eagerness at the prospect of figuring out some way to handle this by himself was making him giddy with excitement. After a couple of rings, he heard someone answer. "Mr. Berry? Hi, it's Finn. Good, how are you? Listen, I was wondering about something..."

**XXXXX**

Rachel sighed and shook her head, even as she finally (on her fifth try) threw her shoulder into the creaky door and walked into the small office space which housed the O.G.L.E.R.S. charity. _That's a safety issue. We really have to replace the door. But I guess that's what you can afford when you're just starting out. _This wasn't a luxurious space by any means, basically just a long hallway with a few offices on either side and a large sectioned off area in the back behind a long wall (to obstruct the view of the computer machines and photocopiers when someone new walked into the office). After securing the door behind her, she discarded her hat and coat on the desk used by the part-time receptionist, and then turned to the other desk in the reception area and activated the computer to focus on the task at hand. The charity auction ball had been a huge success and between the bachelors and ticketed dinners had raised over $40,000 for the O.G.L.E.R.S., which was quite surprising for a first year charity which had barely gotten off the ground. _And to think, one eighth of that was simply for your boyfriend. _Her heart began to swell with pride, but then she angrily pushed thoughts of Finn from her mind; she was still mad at him. Not as much as when she had been when she slapped him in the closet, but enough that she didn't want to think about him at this moment. She had a newsletter to finish and proofread and start printing so that the mail-out to the various members could be sent by this weekend, which meant she had to focus. That was why she had chosen now, after supper time, to work on her article.

She scanned the articles written by other members quickly, but really the ones who contributed to the newsletter were all adults within professional fields, meaning they required very little correction or proofreading. After switching a comma for a semicolon on the last article, she turned to the one she had begun to write herself outlining the events of the auction.

'_**A huge thank you to all the participants of the bachelor auction, which raised a substantial amount of the $40,000 that night. At the top of the list was Morgan Rogers, NFL Quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, who drew in a whopping $6,200 for the evening and surprised everyone with his notable footwork with a soft shoe dance routine. Close on his heels, however, was our shocking second place finisher, McKinley High School athlete Finn Hudson, who stunned everyone by performing a brilliant-'**_

No, that wasn't the word she should use. His performance was good, but not _**that**_ good. She continued to type.

_**...who performed a fantastic rendition-**_

No, still too complimentary. And she was still mad at him. She definitely couldn't use that word. Something else perhaps?

**...**_**who performed a superb rendition-**_

Angrily, she backspaced over that description as well. Taking a breath, she leaned back and forced herself to think of the least complimentary word she could use to describe his show that evening. _Which word? Hmmm...great? No, credit where credit is due, Rachel...it was definitely better than great. Marvellous? Terrific? Fabulous? Tremendous? Ach...admit it Rachel, even _**you **_were captivated by the energy and talent he displayed, despite the vulgar lyrics. _Then she had it and began to start typing into the computer again.

_**...who performed an exciting rendition of Buckcherry's "Too Drunk" and secured a bid for $5,000. **_

Rachel nodded and began to work on the next paragraph, but suddenly a sharp mechanical sound came out from the back of the long hallway. She swallowed and stared down the hall, straining her ears to hear something, but nothing was coming forth. Just before turning back to her computer, however, she heard another mechanical sound, like something belonging to a printer or fax machine being removed. Then the sound of something hitting the floor rang through the halls, along with whispered muttering.

Rachel's eyes went wide. Had someone actually broken into the office to steal what meagre technology had been donated to the charity? Who could possibly commit such a crime? It was the equivalent of mugging an elderly lady and taking her purse! "Is anyone there? I have a rape whistle!" She yelled out with a bit more volume as she plunged her hand into her purse and fumbled around. Surprisingly, she received no response from behind in the technology room, revealing to her that the person back there either wasn't interested in assaulting her or that he only considered her to be a minor threat.

The whistle wasn't where she normally put it, so she pushed her hand over into the secondary spot to locate it while she kept her eyes up on the wall at the end of the hallway. More whispered muttering came forth, and she saw distinctly a shadow move briefly across the wall. Keeping her eyes glued to the end of the hallway, she moved her hand to the third place in her purse the whistle might be, only to discover it wasn't in that location, either.

Fear, really serious fear, was starting to course through her and her hands began to shake. Another loud bang of something technological came forth, causing her to jump in her chair, and she distinctly heard a few curses but couldn't quite discern which ones.

_I've got to get out of here! _She thought to herself. She slung her purse over her head and shoulder and went straight to the door. Twisting the knob, she pulled it hard to try and open it, but the door wouldn't budge. Fighting with it, she grabbed the knob with both hands and threw her weight in the opposite direction, but still, the door didn't move. She was trapped! _We've got to use some of the money raised to fix this forsaken door! _Rachel thought, despite her increasing panic.

Deciding the next best option was to call the police, she cautiously walked back over to the phone on the receptionist's desk. With one eye still on the back wall, she quietly picked up the receiver and dialled 9-1-1 to reach the police. An authoritative female voice came on the line: "You have reached 9-1-1. All our operators are currently busy assisting other callers. Please stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order in which it was received."

Rachel stared at the phone in astonishment. Since when had 9-1-1 started putting people on hold? She frowned and tried a second time, only to be met with the same response. This was ridiculous! How was she supposed to save the O.G.L.E.R.S. assets if she couldn't get through to the police? She huffed in frustration and annoyance and quietly put the phone back. Another bang startled her again, and this time it sounded like a heavy stack of paper landing on the floor. Next were more muttered words in a decidedly male voice.

_There's someone...some _**man**_...here trying to steal our equipment! If they do, that will devastate the O.G.L.E.R.S. and they'll have to use all this money to buy replacement machines. He _**has**_ to be stopped! _Although terrified at the prospect of being alone down here with some strange individual, there seemed to be only one option available. What was that football saying Finn had told her about before? _"The best defence is a good offense!" _Time to go on the offensive!

She quickly looked around quickly for a suitable weapon with which to defend herself before deciding that her purse, with its long shoulder strap and fair weight (she had several items in there for the 'just in case' situations, after all; an actress always had to be ready to perform), might just give her all the armament she needed. She pulled the purse free from her shoulder, moved her hand about halfway down the strap and then wrapped the top portion around her palm and back of her hand, then hefted it up and held it out like a 'morning star' medieval weapon.

She quietly tiptoed to the back wall just in front of the tech room and peered around the corner carefully to see what the intruder was doing, all while her heart raced with fear and adrenaline at this dangerous, confrontational situation. She only caught a glimpse before she turned back behind the wall for fear of getting caught. What she saw was some large individual on his hands and knees, his head stuck halfway in the photocopier and pieces of the machine strewn all over the floor beside him. He appeared to be wearing earphones, listening to music _while _committing his crimes. _Cocky son of a bitch, isn't he? Would explain why he didn't hear me, _she thought. Rachel deduced this thief must really be after something specific if he was trying to gut the photocopier. The hard drive maybe? She'd seen a youtube video of how companies of all sizes could have their confidential information compromised by failing to erase the hard drive from the photocopier (which apparently kept a digital file for every piece of paper scanned). This situation was worse than she initially thought, and she could _**not**_ let someone have that information. On there would be names of members along with all of their personal information; addresses, phone numbers, credit card receipts, donation amounts and maybe even driving licenses. This was not acceptable, and she reluctantly decided if the police were too busy to respond, then she would have to handle things herself. Between her makeshift purse-weapon and the three self-defence classes she had taken, she was sure she could drive this madman away. Taking a deep breath for courage, she turned the corner, snarling at the intruder, and ran towards him with a battle-cry. "AAAAAGGGGGHHHH!"

Her good fortune aided her greatly as she startled the strange man immensely and saw him try to jump up to his feet, but with his head still inside the machine, all he was able to do was bang it painfully on the inner topside of the photocopier. "Unnnhh!" He exclaimed as his hand reached to the back of his head immediately, opening up the side of his body like a target. With all her might, she pulled her leg back and swiftly kicked him in the stomach, and was quite satisfied to hear all the breath in his lungs escape in a gasp of pain. "AANNHHHH!" Just as his head came free of the machine and began to turn towards her, she swung her purse overhand with all her might, connecting it solidly with the head of the intruder and sending him sprawling to the floor on his stomach. Not wasting any time, she pounced on top of him and drove her knee onto the back of his neck just as he was trying to lift himself up slowly off the floor, pinning him there. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Answer me before I start swinging again." She held her purse out in front of her threateningly, the adrenaline and fear flowing quickly through her muscles and mind.

The man's hands and arms covered his eyes and face, which she still couldn't see as he was stomach flat on the floor, and she heard a muffled. "MMMGTBEETBIMIGRLFR!"

"Turn your head and speak louder," Rachel commanded in firm voice, which belied her nerves, "or I swear the wrath of all that is O.G.L.E.R.S. will strike you down like a thunderbolt from Mount Olympus! Now again, answer me!" She started swinging her purse back and forth, ready to deliver as mighty a strike as possible.

The man turned his head to the side, his arms still covering the face, but the voice now instantly recognizable. "I'M GETTING BEATEN UP BY MY GIRLFRIEND! CAN WE STOP NOW, PLEASE?"

**XXXXX**

Finn examined himself in the mirror in the bathroom, wondering if trying to 'reduce the formula' had been worth the effort after being suddenly attacked. He had to admit, Rachel really did a number on him. His right eye was swelling with spots of yellow and purple bruising forming in a ring around the outside of the socket (it wasn't swollen shut, thankfully. That would have made basketball practice difficult). His stomach ached where she had kicked him, but fortunately it felt no worse than some of the nastier hits and sacks he had taken during football season. His lip had received a minor cut, but at least the flow of blood had been stemmed with the small towel in the bathroom (he was going to have to buy another one for the O.G.L.E.R.S. office...no, correction, **_Rachel_** would have to buy the office another one). He shook his head even as he called out to her with a humoured tone of voice. "Thanks Rach. I needed a makeover anyway. I think yellow and purple bruising really does something for my skin tone, don't you think?"

Rachel looked at him with sad, guilty eyes even as she busily put a handful of ice into another towel and began to tie up the corners. "I'm so, _**so **_sorry, Finn. I can't apologize enough. I was just so frightened and nervous and I thought you were intruding to steal information and I...I..." Her breaths were coming faster and faster and she almost started hyperventilating until Finn walked over and just embraced her, holding her small figure in his arms, stroking her back in long, soothing strokes up and down as she cried into his chest for the third time in ten minutes. "I swear I didn't mean it. Honestly! I really thought you were...you were..."

"A burglar. Yeah, I know, Rach. I know." Finn replied as calmly and soothingly as possible with a busted lip, continuing to stroke her back until her breathing began turning to normal. Once he heard a small hiccup from her, he pulled her away slightly to regard her with a smile. "Hey, my girl's a firecracker! At least I know she can take care of herself. But really, wouldn't it have been better to call the police instead of confronting a burglar directly?"

Rachel shook her head, even as she failed to meet his eyes. "They...they weren't answering. I dialled 9-1-1 twice and they put me on hold." She crossed her arms and her eyes narrowed in anger and frustration, even through her tears. "And trust me, I'm going to be sending a strongly worded email to the Chief of Police here in Lima about the lack of adequate phone lines at their emergency operation centre. I could have been assaulted, or raped, or injured and left for dead, or-"

"Uh, with _**that**_ purse as a weapon, I'm pretty sure the only person who needs to worry is the one opposing you."

Rachel finally cast a glance at him, then smiled slightly in spite of herself. "Well, I've never used it as a weapon before. I just figured it was better than trying to use a garbage can or something." Her face grew serious even as she gave him the ice pack and lead him out of the small bathroom and over to the lone couch in the largest office, guiding him down so he was somewhat upright against the arm of the couch with his legs up and his head back against the pillow. She pulled up his shirt to check the area where she had kicked him, and Finn watched as she gingerly put her fingers to the area, retracting them quickly as he winced slightly. "I didn't break anything, did I?"

Finn shook his head, knowing this injury was no more than a large bruise. "It'll be fine." He said, returning the towel full of ice to his eye to try and reduce the swelling. "Now I know you're not lying when you say you'll kick my ass if I don't try my best at school."

Rachel groaned and hid her face in her hands as she collapsed in the office chair she had pulled out from behind the desk and placed in front of the couch. Finn chuckled as he leaned his head back against the pillow, closing his right eye to try and maximize contact of the eye socket with the makeshift ice bag. After a moment of silence, he noticed her pull her face out of her hands and cross her arms. "Finn?"

"Yeah, Babe."

"Why were you here in the first place? You've never been here."

Finn shrugged as he took the ice bag away for a moment and felt the area of skin around his eye. It was still a bit warm, so he returned the ice to it. "I was volunteering."

Rachel's head and shoulders jerked slightly back from his simple explanation. "Volunteering? But, it's Monday. Don't you work Monday nights?"

Finn nodded. "Normally, yeah, but I got a message at school before we had our 'meeting' in the library that both my students cancelled tonight, so Jared told me to take the night off and come in tomorrow to help with the new stock shipments. I don't have any homework pressing, so I called your Dad and asked if there was something I could do for O.G.L.E.R.S. since I was free tonight. He told me they had to photocopy a bunch of donation pledge forms for the mail-out this weekend, so I came in just before they locked the door to try and finish that for them. Then the photocopier got jammed and I was working on clearing it before you...well, before you found me."

He watched as Rachel's eyes widened at his words, and her hand clenched into a fist above her heart. Her face seemed to soften even more as she regarded him. "You...you decided this all on your own?"

Finn sighed as he removed the ice and put the bag down on the coffee table in front of him. He shifted a bit to look at her better. "You know what, Rach, you were right in the library. I wasn't taking this seriously; the O.G.L.E.R.S., your dads, or you. This issue of gay rights has been ignored. I mean, yeah, things are better now than fifty years ago, but it's not all equal and above board. Even a quick search on Google confirmed that for me. And I don't want you to always see me as the dumb jock who doesn't care about your family, or about you." He smiled slightly and then took a deep breath. "This is important for you, and because it's important to you, it's important to me. So I agreed with your Dad that I would volunteer five hours a week to help out with whatever they needed. It's probably going to usually be on Saturday mornings, but-"

"But you sleep in on Saturdays!" Rachel protested slightly, though with a low voice.

Shifting for a second time on the couch, Finn leaned his head back against the pillow again. "Sleeping in is awesome, Rach, but being beside you working on stuff you feel...we **both **feel is important, is better." He turned towards her again and looked at her with solemn eyes. "I _**am**_ serious about you, and I'm serious about what _**you're**_ serious about. And if that means I volunteer on Saturdays to help you guys out, then that's what I do. End of story."

He was not prepared for Rachel's reaction in the slightest. Suddenly her tiny frame had landed on top of him and her mouth had covered his in a long, sweet, wonderful kiss that was so intense it was starting to make his toes curl. After a few minutes, her hands fisted into his shirt as she moved her kissing over his lips, careful to avoid his cut, and down his neck onto that one, super sensitive spot where she locked her lips straight against him and darted her tongue against his skin, instantly causing every muscle in him to tighten and his eyes to fly open.

_**MAILMAN, MAILMAN, MAILMAN, MAILMAN, MAILMAN, MAILMAN, MAILMAN...**_

_Suddenly he heard his mother's hysterical shouts of panic, screeching tires, the loud cracking of the windshield in front of him, and saw the blue uniformed civil servant sprawling across the car, mail flying everywhere, before the man dropped off the car in a heap and the vehicle came to a sudden stop. _

Snapping back to reality, Finn slowly exhaled, happy to avoid a suddenly humiliating (and very sticky) situation from occurring only a few minutes in. He hadn't had a problem like that since they had first kissed, so it astonished him that it had happened that quickly.

Rachel ceased what she was doing before looking up at him, smiling smugly. "Mailman?" She asked. He nodded, exhaling heavily again, before being stunned beyond any further words as suddenly her left hand was yanking hard on the belt at his pants, fumbling with the clasp as she tried unsuccessfully to loosen it. Finn was about to ask what exactly she was doing, but decided now was definitely _**not **_a time to argue with her about her intentions. If she wanted that piece of clothing off, he was more than happy to oblige. With some minor help from him, she quickly had the belt unbuckled, along with his pants undone and zipper pulled all the way down. Finn's eyes grew wide at her sudden aggressiveness and his head was spinning from how quickly this makeout session was escalating. Sure, they had been to third base before, but it had always been a gradual build-up to that moment so they could savour and enjoy each successive sensation (yeah, he remembered Rachel's description word-for-word). Never had she reached straight for **_'The Prize'_ **before (he was secretly proud of his girlfriend's name for that part of his anatomy). His eyes darted from between where she suddenly gripped him underneath his boxers, sending a pulse of intense desire straight through his nerves, and up to her eyes which had grown dark and dilated with desire. She leaned into to nuzzle his earlobe as she whispered to him "How's your lip?"

"Not...not really thinking about that right now." Finn replied as his eyes closed upon feeling her squeeze him slightly harder.

He could feel her smile against the skin under his ear. "It's fortuitous I don't require them at this particular moment." She replied coyly. He glanced at her questioningly and she grinned, but before he could ask her about the true meaning of her words, her head suddenly dropped down the length of his torso.

_What? Here? Really? No...she's not...she's doesn't mean...she doesn't intend to...not here in the office of...oh my...**HOLY...**_

The world of pleasure and perfection he was suddenly introduced to was beyond description or explanation, and he quickly decided that reducing the formula had been an extremely worthwhile endeavour after all.

* * *

**Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged! :) **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N - Yes, you get two chapters in one day. I just couldn't leave this scene out, so I figured it was best to insert right at the end. Hope you enjoyed the story in it's entirety, and please, if you haven't reviewed yet or were waiting until the whole story was completed, I'd love to know what everyone thought of it as a whole. Good, bad, write more, don't bother writing again? Any and all constructive reviews are appreciated. Truly. To those who have kept with it since day one, thank you for joining me on what has been an incredibly fun (if much longer) journey. Without further ado, here's the final 'mini' chapter. **

**Disclaimer - See Chapter 1, if necessary. **

* * *

"Alrighty, let's make tonight a bit more interesting!" Puck declared as he pulled a twenty from his wallet and threw it on the table. Once again, as it had been every second Friday since the year before, it was guys' night at his place and they were taking a break from their videogame marathon. Finn, Mike, Sam, and this time even Blaine and Artie were gathered around the table in the Puckerman's small kitchen chowing down on some Chinese food with their beer.

Finn lifted his head up from the sweet and sour pork he was inhaling and raised his eyebrow, even as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. "How are we making things interesting?" He tossed a twenty on the table, sure he had just seen it disappear in some way, shape, or form, but since he had picked up an extra shift at _**Fortissimo **_the week before, he wasn't too concerned. All of the others groaned and rolled their eyes, each of them with a twenty dollar bill in hand, but unlike Finn, they all waited for Puck to explain the rules of this new game.

"Nuh-uh!" Puck returned and motioned for everyone to add to the pot. "Money first, explanation afterwards." More groans echoed across the kitchen, but there were a few grins as well. Once the money was collected and Puck had ensured there was a twenty dollar bill from each member, he smiled, clipped them together to form a small stack and then put it on the table between them all. "Okay men, here's the game; sexiest thing about your partner, or most recent partner, is described and explained. '_Top Gun_' rules apply, meaning?" Puck held a hand to his ear to the rest of the group.

All the others rolled their eyes and responded as an ensemble "Winner takes all. There are no points for second place."

Puck smiled widely. "Exactly! And yes Blaine, male or female, we're all grown-ups here, so no-one freak out if he starts on about Kurt's package, okay?"

"Being Kurt's step-brother, may _**I **_freak out, please?" Finn asked, even as he returned to his food with a fork in hand, causing a few laughs around the table.

Puck shook his head. "Suck it up, Finnocence. Okay, who's gonna start?"

Artie rolled his eyes but raised his hand. "Okay, fine, I'll go first." He thought about it, and then leaned forward in his chair. "Brittany's flexibility. Last year, right after we started dating…let's just say for obvious reasons, she's usually on top. We're in the middle of 'it' and suddenly, without moving off of me, she brings her legs behind her so that her feet are resting on my shoulders, and she's gaining leverage by holding onto my wrists. Oh, did I mention she was facing away from me? Let's just say I asked for that one again."

The guys nodded in understanding and smiled at Artie as he received a couple of high fives from the others. Shaking his head, Sam wiped his mouth with a paper towel and put down the beef and broccoli he was working on. "Quinn's ability to compromise. You all know she has certain restrictions regarding this issue, but just before Christmas after we had a 'discussion' regarding our physical relations, I went to pick her up for a date when she told me to come into the living room. I walked in and saw a blanket on the floor, pillows arranged everywhere, and her in the centre of it in nothing but a bikini, telling me she was cold and if I could please 'help to warm her up.' Bikini never came off, and I didn't mind one bit. I broke my vow to never think about Coach Beiste again about a minute in."

Again, the guys all smiled and either clapped Sam on the shoulder or high fived him. Even Puck nodded in admittance that Sam's experience was praiseworthy. Mike sighed and put down his beer. "Tina's audacity. I go over to pick her up at her parent's place, thinking we're going to the movies or something, and there she is, decked out in full Goth regalia. I'm talking the robe, the nails, and the boots, the hair; all of it. I ask why so 'dark' when we're just going to the movies, and she explains that we're not going to the movies as her parents had to go out of town suddenly. I'm thinking alone time is great, so I walk in, close the door behind me and turn from hanging my coat up to find she's ditched the robe and is standing there in nothing but the undergarments and boots. And the boots stayed on the _**entire **_time."

Puck grinned hugely as again all the guys nodded and congratulated Mike. "See, **_this _**is what I'm talking about. Okay, Blaine, your turn. And remember everyone, just because it involves the same gender as us, doesn't mean we can't appreciate it." Puck motioned for Blaine to start.

Laughing a bit, Blaine shrugged and put his own beer on the table. "Okay, yeah, it's with Kurt, so Finn, go ahead and cringe if necessary."

"Oh, it will be." Finn replied stonily without looking up from stuffing more pork into his mouth.

"Kurt's thoughtfulness. A couple of weeks ago, I had a really bad score on an essay. I bitched about it to Kurt for over a half hour, and rather than rightfully tell me to suck it up, he came over to my place with baked goods, body lotion, a bottle of wine that he must have jacked from Mr. Hummel's stash, and proceeded to give me the longest and most wonderful massage I've ever had. And the full body massage was indeed 'full body'."

Right on cue, Finn cringed. "T.M.I., dude, T.M.I." He began to voice loudly over the combined laughs of all the others, and Blaine was again given high fives and a couple claps on the shoulder. Finn shook his head and then thrust his jaw out to his best friend. "Alright, **_Noah_**, your turn. If you can even choose, that is."

Puck took a swig of beer and placed it carefully on the table. "Well, there _**are**_ so many to choose from, but honestly, I think the college practicum student last week took the cake. Her name is Nora, and I love her spontaneity. She has the **_best _**figure I have ever seen in my entire life. We're talking utter perfection, with curves in all the right places. I walked into the library a couple weeks ago, and we were chatting, and then we chatted some more and were flirting, and then last week I went in and she asked me for some help with something in the utility closet. I'm thinking she needs me to move some boxes or other heavy lifting, and when I go in first, she suddenly closes the door, rips off her button shirt, and I'm staring at a pair of 45's, and I'm not talking records or guns. She then proceeded, with no hesitation, to show me she knew how to use every curve and angle in every way possible. Right after we finished for the _**third**_ time, we walked out and were confronted with the school librarian, who promptly dismissed Nora and told her to never come back. She simply grinned and explained she didn't think she'd need to as she'd already _'come forth' _about seven or eight times." Puck grinned again. "That librarian was left stuttering and sputtering, not knowing what the hell to say, and then Nora turns to me right in front of her, hands me her phone number and asks me to call her sometime. And just in case you need the proof…" Puck pulled out a piece of paper with what was obviously female handwriting on it and slammed it on the table on top of the money. The guys were all jeering and shaking their heads, even as Artie high fived Puck and the mohawked teenager took a bow. "Alright, just one more to go, but I think we all know who the winner is, right? Your turn, Fimbecile!"

Finn took a few seconds to finish chewing his food and then set the container down on the table and took a long swig of his beer. He regarded each one of them briefly, then shrugged and leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms. "I don't know, man. Rachel would kill me if what I want to say ever leaked out."

Puck's face grew serious and he nodded slightly while regarding everyone else. "He's got a point, and I'm sure it goes for all of those ladies, Kurt included. So everyone here, raise your right hand and repeat after me: I promise what's said at Puckerman's stays at Puckerman's on threat of being banned from guys' night and all the privileges that includes." Each of them laughed at Puck, who scowled and motioned at the crowd. "Come on, bitches, I ain't got all night. Say it." Again, as a group, everyone, including Finn, raised their right hand and repeated the oath. Once finished, Puck nodded again and turned back to Finn. "Okay, spill it Finn."

Finn shrugged. "Alright. Sexiest feature ever is Rachel's gag reflex."

Each of the guys looked at each other in confusion. Puck raised an eyebrow and began to laugh. "You're kidding, right? The sexiest thing about your girl is her _**gag reflex**_? How the fuck did you figure that?"

"Because on Monday night she demonstrated for thirty minutes and beyond any reasonable doubt that she doesn't have one."

Every single jaw in the room dropped in complete and utter astonishment, and they all stared hard at Finn as if he was the luckiest man in the world. Even Puck stood stock still as a statue, staring at his friend in amazement. After what seemed like half a minute of silence, Blaine simply grabbed the money off the table and handed it to Finn. "I don't think anyone is going to top that."

Finn accepted the money with a nod and grinned before having another swig of beer and returning to his feast.

**- FIN - **

**

* * *

**

Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged. Hope you enjoyed "7 Steps".


End file.
